Roland Friedrich, Director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank, warned of a concerning deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Khirbet Umm al-Khair and the Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron, amid escalating settler violence, intensified demolition orders, and measures that threaten the imminent forced displacement of hundreds of Bedouin families.

Friedrich stated that the situation is worsening. In recent days, armed settlers entered Khirbet Umm al-Khair during the day and night, vandalized property, and attempted to expand the fence of their settlement into Umm al-Khair’s land.

He added, “This is happening while Palestinian communities neighboring Masafer Yatta face the risk of displacement, affecting around 200 families — approximately 1,200 people, including 500 children.”

Remote Bedouin and herding communities, such as Umm al-Khair and all of Masafer Yatta, are now facing the threat of imminent forced displacement.