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Umm al-Khair, occupying the West Bank – The Palestinians of Masafer Yatta, a group of villages in the southern West Bank, feel that Israeli soldiers and residents are closing in on them every day.
In one of those villages, Umm al-Khair, the presence of newly established illegal settlements nearby is the latest evidence that they are being replaced.
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Salem and Ikhlas al-Hathaleen live with their eight children in a beautiful metal-clad house. The land around their home was somewhere that the family could use for farming and grazing. But an illegal settlement, an extension of the settlement near Carmel that was established last September, was established on the site, about 20 meters (66 feet) away from their house.
Ikhlas explains that his early morning routine included taking the family’s sheep out of their pen, giving them food and water, milking them, and letting them graze.
The tasks were simple – but they are not.
Now, because of the new Israeli location, getting to the closed area – which is behind the building – has become difficult, and in some cases, impossible.
According to Ikhlas, the family was initially denied access to the animal shelter for four consecutive days and was only allowed to enter it once, along with Israeli soldiers, to give food and water to the animals. He was then banned from entering the room for two days. This practice of occasional visits combined with days off to see the animals has continued, and Ikhlas says he was only able to see the animals three times in July.
“I check every morning to see if the sheep are still alive,” says Ikhlas. “I just wish I could reach out to them and take care of them like I used to.”
Fighting in the bathroom
It’s not just the sheepfolds that are difficult to get to for the al-Hathaleen family.
Even the family’s bathroom, which is located a few meters from their home, has been difficult to reach.
Ikhlas explains that the settlers at the beginning of July placed obstacles near the bathroom, including barbed wire and children’s playground equipment, all to make it difficult to access, especially for children and the elderly.
He added that the situation has become more difficult since the Israeli army has declared the area around the bathroom a closed military zone. As a result, the family – including the children, the youngest is one year old – is forced to use their neighbor’s toilet, even though it is dangerous for them to reach it.
The route requires crossing a road used by regular vehicles, Ikhlas says, adding that his five-year-old daughter Swar was injured when she was hit on the road last August.
For Ikhlas, it is not just about access to the toilet or the family’s pets, but about the family’s ability to live in dignity and live a good life in their home.
He said: “We will not leave our country. Even if we live in a tent or under a tree, we will stay here.”
Growing villages
Umm al-Khair has faced increasing threats since October 2023, when Israel’s terrorist war on Gaza began, and a corresponding escalation in Israeli attacks on the occupied West Bank.
The Jewish settlers, who want to seize more land from the Palestinians in the West Bank, have been dangerous, slightly detached from the state of Israel – and often strengthened, especially due to the presence of far-right leaders, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, in the highest levels of government.
Settlements continue to expand rapidly across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, making any hope of a Palestinian state in these lands remote.
An Israeli court issued an order last October for the new illegal settlement near Umm al-Khair to be removed, but after the Israeli army took steps to enforce the order, it was overturned.
The local Palestinians are powerless to push back against the Israeli settlers – if they do, they are at risk of violent attacks by the settlers, who are armed, or arrested by the military.
Khalil al-Hathaleen, head of the Umm al-Khair village council, says that the expansion of settlements in the area has increased significantly in recent years, including the establishment of new illegal settlements, as well as opening roads for residents, and expanding the areas under supervision of existing villages – all of which depend on the occupation of Palestinian land.
Khalil explains that because of this, the number of livestock of the people living in Umm al-Khair has decreased from 3,000 to about 700, due to the problems faced by the shepherds and the growing problems of finding grazing land.
He said that more than 1,000 olive trees have been cut down in the area, 50,000 (538,000sq feet) of agricultural land has been confiscated, and 14 houses and buildings have been demolished.
“For the people of Umm al-Khair, losing their land does not mean losing property,” Khalil said. “It means losing all the life that has existed for generations.”
Hisham al-Sharbati, a researcher at the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center, says that the organization has been monitoring the situation in Umm al-Khair for many years, and that the problems people are facing are getting worse with the increase in population in the area.
“Humanitarian aid is visible in all aspects of daily life – from difficulties in accessing sources of income to restrictions affecting housing and basic equipment,” he says, adding that the actions of Israel and its residents are in direct conflict with international law.
Children are scared
Ahmed al-Hathaleen, a resident of Umm al-Khair, works to track Israeli atrocities in the village.
“I have a special folder on my phone called ‘Umm al-Khair File’,” he says, adding that it contains about 1,500 videos and 1,200 photos that he has collected since April 2025.
He said: “Photography and videos are a way to tell our story and show people what is happening here.”
Ahmed, who is 31 years old, says that it is the children – and he has three of them – who are most affected by the problem, and some have nightmares because of the environment.
Sahm Khalil al-Hathaleen is one of those children. He says the children of the community have lost their normal childhood, especially their right to education and a safe place to play.
The 12-year-old boy said that he just wants to go to school and play without fear, but this is not possible due to the current situation.
He said: “The children here just want to be like other children.”
Sahm sees some of the other children leading normal lives – children from nearby Israeli villages. While playing, he describes being woken up in the middle of the night with fear when he hears noises outside.
“Fear,” says Sahm, “has become part of our daily lives.”
