For decades, the Palestinian residents of Masafer Yatta have lived under constant threat of expulsion by Israeli authorities. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams have witnessed first-hand how these conditions are harming people’s physical and mental health.
The desert region, located in the southern West Bank in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, was designated a closed military zone in 1981, rendering its residents “illegal” and thus eligible for eviction under Israeli law. As a result, homes, schools, and other structures have been demolished, and many Palestinians have been forced from their homes in what may amount to forcible transfer, which is prohibited under international law.
