On the third day of the new school year in the occupied West Bank, 12-year-old Sundus al-Hamamdeh left her home in Khirbet al-Fakhit, a village in the Masafer Yatta area, to attend al-Fakhit Secondary School. Upon her return, she found that Israeli forces had dismantled her house, along with livestock shelters, water infrastructure, and solar-power installations. For al-Hamamdeh and other children in the region south of Hebron, the threat of displacement is a constant reality.
Much of Masafer Yatta falls within Area C, where Israel maintains full control over planning and construction. While Israeli authorities justify demolitions by citing a lack of building permits, Palestinians and United Nations officials argue that such permits are virtually unobtainable for residents. The destruction extends beyond private residences to educational institutions, jeopardizing the continuity of schooling for local children.
On August 4, Israeli forces surrounded Shaab al-Butum school and demolished two rooms used by teachers, administrators, and storage purposes, according to Bassam Jabr, the director-general of education in Masafer Yatta. The UN independently verified the demolition, noting that Israeli authorities cited the absence of an Israeli-issued building permit as the reason. Although the main school building remains under a pending demolition order, the existing structure serves approximately 60 students from kindergarten through 11th grade. Jabr emphasized that the school’s remote location makes transferring students to other facilities particularly difficult.
Education officials have appealed to Israeli courts and urged the United Nations and foreign governments to intervene, but the threats persist. Masafer Yatta has been designated as a military firing zone by the Israeli military, a move officials argue is intended to force out the Palestinian population. Intisar Omar Abu Sabha, an administrative director at the Masafer Yatta Directorate of Education, stated that schools in communities including Zif, ar-Rifaiyah, Umm Qussa, Umm al-Kheir, Jinba, Shaab al-Butum, Khirbet al-Daba, and al-Majaz are among those facing demolition orders.
Abu Sabha highlighted the daily challenges students and teachers face, including road closures, checkpoints, and settler harassment. “Imagine a student who is at school, then returns home and finds their home demolished … and comes back the next day to find their school demolished,” she said, describing a cycle that leaves families vulnerable to losing both their housing and their educational access.
Palestinian lawyer Yasmeen Sallaq argued that the ongoing demolitions directly undermine children’s right to education. She noted that Israeli restrictions on movement, military raids, arrests, and displacement make it increasingly difficult for students and education workers to exercise this right. “We face the demolition of schools every day, making the continuation of the educational process almost impossible,” Sallaq said.
At Zif Secondary School for Girls, which serves about 250 students, headteacher Hanaa al-Salameen reported that the school first received a demolition notice in 2016. After years of legal proceedings, an appeal against demolition was dismissed this year, though efforts to obtain an interim injunction continue. Al-Salameen said the uncertainty has caused fear and anxiety among students, with some transferring to other schools.
“The school is not just a place for education. This school is the students’ only outlet,” al-Salameen said. She expressed concern that demolition could push girls out of education entirely if alternative schools are too distant or located along unsafe roads. Rabiha Yousef Jibril, a 10th-grade student at Zif, expressed resilience despite the threats. “I am growing up in this school, and my dreams are growing with me day by day,” she said. “Even if they demolish the school, we will continue to study, even under the trees. Even if they confiscate the books, we will keep them in our hearts, as well as our minds.”
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