HEBRON, June 29, 2025 (WAFA) – Israeli colonists seized additional Palestinian land on Sunday in the village of Umm al-Kheir, located in Masafer Yatta in the farthest south of the occupied West Bank.

Activist Osama Makhamra told WAFA that armed colonists, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, expanded the perimeter fence of the nearby illegal settlement of Carmel, pushing it further onto land belonging to Palestinian residents in the western part of the hamlet.

When local residents attempted to resist the land seizure, Israeli forces fired stun grenades and tear gas at them, assaulted several individuals, and detained a number of people.

Makhamra added that settler violence in the area has been ongoing for months and is steadily escalating. Attacks include land clearing, excavation, tree planting, and the construction of settler roads.

These activities have effectively encircled the community with a ring of colonial expansion, increasing pressure on residents to leave and paving the way for forced displacement.

M.N