Uncertainty and Fear as Palestinian Children Return to Partially Demolished School in Masafer Yatta

Palestinian children are preparing for the new school year in Masafer Yatta in the southern occupied West Bank under the shadow of ongoing Israeli demolitions and threats. Farah, Mohammed, and Jawad—aged 17, 8, and 7 respectively—attend Shaab al-Butum school in the village of the same name. However, the building they are returning to is missing administrative and storage rooms following demolitions carried out by Israeli forces on August 4.

According to the United Nations, Israel justified the demolitions by citing a lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain in Area C of the occupied West Bank under Israeli administrative and military control. With a court case scheduled for September 15, the remaining structure is also threatened with demolition, leaving students anxious about losing the village's only educational facility and facing potential confrontations with Israeli forces.

The start of September, typically a time for joyful academic beginnings, has been overshadowed by anxiety. Farah, a student at Shaab al-Butum school, expressed fear about the future of her only alma mater. Mohammed shared concerns that Israeli forces would return to destroy what remains, while Jawad voiced his sadness over the damage and his hope that the school could be restored.

Nidal Younis, head of the Masafer Yatta local council, noted that these fears highlight a broader threat to education throughout the region, which has faced repeated targeting by the Israeli state and settlers. Declared a closed Israeli military firing zone in the 1980s, Masafer Yatta has been the site of ongoing attempts to force local Palestinians out. Younis emphasized that all seven schools in the wider Masafer Yatta area are currently threatened with demolition amidst tightening policies and increasing settler violence.

Activist and teacher Tariq Hathaleen stated that the constant uncertainty and settlement expansion have deepened residents' insecurity, noting that schools are no longer immune to attacks following incidents like the one at Ras Ein al-Auja school in the Jordan Valley. According to Hathaleen, these actions affect education, housing, freedom of movement, and livelihoods.

Data from the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission highlights a widespread crisis, with 84 Palestinian schools serving nearly 13,000 students currently facing Israeli demolition or stop-work orders. Amir Dawoud, a senior official with the commission, pointed out that these schools—concentrated heavily in southern Hebron, particularly Masafer Yatta, as well as al-Walaja school near Bethlehem—cannot simply be closed and relocated. Dawoud stressed that the psychological and educational disruption begins long before the bulldozers arrive, forming a systematic pattern aimed at undermining the survival of Palestinian communities.