Displaced by Israel, Palestinians make caves home

Palestinians say Israeli authorities do not permit them to construct structures using bricks and cement

Thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have moved into caves on the outskirts of Al-Khalil as Israeli occupation authorities do not permit them to construct structures using bricks and cement.

Any attempt by Palestinians to construct proper home structures is thwarted by Israeli authorities, who demolish them, according to Middle East Monitor.

 



PHOTO: MIDDLE EAST MONITOR

 

Noaman Hamamda, 57, said, “It is very rare for Palestinians to be given a building permit by the occupation authorities.”

Hamamda and his 13-member family currently live in a cave covering around 30 square metres, they have no basic amenities.

Despite the hardships, the 57-year-old and other Palestinians in the area say they would rather live in such harsh conditions than abandon their ancestral land to Israeli settlement projects.

"The occupation keeps trying to evict us but we refuse to give up the land. Life is hard for us here, but you get used to it."

 



PHOTO: MIDDLE EAST MONITOR

 

Their cave is split into three sections, one for sleeping, one for storing grain and a third for receiving guests. Outside the cave is a wood oven that they use for cooking and baking bread.

Hamamda's is one of about 15 Palestinian families living in caves in Al-Khalil, built by Israel on confiscated Palestinian land.

Israeli troops have entered the area in force repeatedly in recent years to demolish structures built by Palestinian residents.

 



PHOTO: MIDDLE EAST MONITOR

 

In 2013, Israeli army bulldozers destroyed an electricity generator that provided residents with power for a few hours each night. During the same raid, the Israelis also levelled a local mosque.

"I can't watch television any more because Israel destroyed the electricity generator," said 11-year-old Adam, Hamamda's youngest son.

However, Adam and his friends are frequently chased by Israeli settlers living nearby. "Sometimes they chase us. If they catch us, they beat us," he added.

 



PHOTO: MIDDLE EAST MONITOR

 

"Scores of Palestinian families in Al-Mafqara and surrounding areas live without basic facilities like water and electricity and have to use animals for transport," Rateb Al-Jobour, coordinator of Al-Khalil's popular resistance committees, told Anadolu.

"The [Israeli] occupation is trying relentlessly to force residents from the land so that it can be used for expanding settlements," he added.

According to Al-Jobour, some 50,000 square kilometres of land in Al-Khalil is threatened with confiscation by Israel for building additional settlement units or military training camps.