Al-Tabban


Khirbet at-Tabban 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. Much of the surrounding area was designated Firing Zone 918 for military training in the 1980s, with residents facing demolition orders, planning restrictions and recurrent incidents affecting civilian life.

Geography

Khirbet at-Tabban stands at about 643 metres above sea level at approximate coordinates 31.38216°N, 35.17432°E. The hamlet is part of the scattered cave-dwelling and herding landscape east of Yatta that comprises Masafer Yatta.
The name of Wadi al-Tabban appears on the map of the 1870s Survey of Western Palestine

History and archaeology

The wider Masafer Yatta landscape historically supported seasonal pastoralism and cave-adapted dwelling. As with nearby hamlets, families in at-Tabban use caves, cisterns, small terraces and dryland plots typical of the South Hebron Hills. Historical/advocacy mapping lists A-Tabban among long-standing communities of the area.
Al-Tabban was recorded among the cluster of Yatta’s outlying villages by geographer Natan Shalem in 1931, who described caves, cisterns, and cultivated fields that formed the basis of permanent settlement. Residents traditionally combined cave-dwelling with agriculture and herding, and aerial imagery confirms stone enclosures and terraces in use during the mid-20th century. As with other Masafer Yatta communities, Thaban faces demolition orders under the claim that it lies within a military training zone.

Legal–administrative context

Following the June 1967 war, Masafer Yatta came under Israeli occupation and was included in Area C. In the 1980s, the army designated large parts as Firing Zone 918, severely constraining civilian construction, service connections and access to land. On 7 June 2022, Israeli authorities issued demolition orders for all seven homes and most livelihood structures in the Khirbet at-Tabban community, providing residents three days to take legal action. OCHA and other organizations continue to report demolitions, confiscations and displacement risks affecting at-Tabban and neighbouring hamlets.

Access and services

  • Road access: The hamlet is reached by unpaved agricultural tracks branching from the Yatta–At-Tuwani area; humanitarian and press reporting describe difficult access conditions and movement restrictions typical of the firing-zone locality.
  • Water and power: As with neighbouring hamlets, households rely on rain-fed cisterns and trucked water; electricity is typically supplied by small solar arrays, with periodic confiscations/demolitions reported.
  • Education and health: Residents access basic services in nearby hamlets ; humanitarian organisations have documented the health impacts of the coercive environment across Masafer Yatta.

    Population and livelihoods

At-Tabban is one of the smaller Masafer Yatta communities. Households subsist on mixed herding, small-plot dryland farming and seasonal grazing, consistent with regional patterns.

Notable incidents

  • June 2022: Demolition orders issued against all homes and most livelihood structures in the hamlet.
  • Ongoing reporting documents demolitions/confiscations and settler-related incidents across Masafer Yatta, affecting at-Tabban and adjacent hamlets.