Al-Mifqara


Khirbet al-Mufagara is a small Palestinian herding hamlet in the South Hebron Hills, within the Masafer Yatta cluster of communities in the Hebron Governorate of the southern West Bank. Like other Masafer Yatta localities, it lies in Area C under Israeli civil and military control, and much of the surrounding area is within Firing Zone 918, a military training zone declared in the 1980s.

Geography

Al-Mufagara stands at about 779 metres above sea level at approximate coordinates 31.40635°N, 35.15052°E. It lies east of Yatta among dispersed cave-dwelling and herding hamlets that comprise Masafer Yatta.

History and archaeology

The wider Masafer Yatta landscape has long supported semi-sedentary pastoralism with cave-adapted dwelling. Families in al-Mufagara share the region's pattern of caves, cisterns, terraces and small dryland plots characteristic of the South Hebron Hills.
Al-Mafkara is one of the Masafer Yatta villages where residents traditionally lived in caves and later added stone houses. Mahmoud Hamamda, born there in 1965, recalled that his father and grandfather lived in the same cave, which contained 22 ancient living chambers.
Oral testimonies recorded by Palestinian youth researchers identify cave habitation as a distinctive cultural practice that "enabled us to maintain life" despite environmental hardship and the pressures of occupation.
In 1999, when Hamamda was 34, the Israeli army raided the village and others in Masafer Yatta, confiscating tents and goods, demolishing houses, and forcibly transporting residents to Yatta. The High Court permitted villagers to return but barred them from rebuilding homes or connecting to utilities, restricting natural growth despite ongoing residence.

Legal–administrative context

Following the June 1967 war, Masafer Yatta came under Israeli occupation and was included in Area C. In the 1980s, large parts of the area were declared Firing Zone 918, constraining civilian construction, service connections and access to land. In May 2022, the Supreme Court of Israel dismissed petitions against expulsion within the firing zone, paving the way for evictions in multiple hamlets.

Access and services

Road access: The hamlet is reached by unpaved agricultural tracks between the outposts of Avigayil and Ma'on Farm.Water and power: Households rely on rain-fed cisterns and trucked water; electricity is typically provided by small solar arrays, subject to periodic confiscation/demolition in the area.Basic services: Residents access schools and clinics in nearby hamlets and in Yatta; humanitarian reporting documents service gaps and movement restrictions typical of firing-zone localities.

Population and livelihoods

Al-Mufagara is one of the smaller Masafer Yatta communities. Families rely on mixed herding, small-plot dryland farming and seasonal grazing, consistent with regional patterns.

Notable incidents

28 September 2021: Dozens of masked settlers attacked al-Mufagara, stoning homes and vehicles and injuring residents; a three-year-old child suffered a skull fracture from a stone thrown into a house. The incident was documented by human-rights groups and widely reported in the press.22 December 2021: Olive seedlings were cut and fences vandalized in fields near the community.