Daijiworld Media Network - Hebron
Hebron, Sep 22: Israeli forces early Tuesday stormed the village of al-Karmel, east of Yatta in the south Hebron area of the occupied West Bank, and confiscated two water tankers belonging to the at-Tuwani village council, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
The tankers were transporting water from al-Karmel to Khirbet al-Halawa in Masafer Yatta when Israeli forces seized them, according to local sources cited by WAFA.
The forces also detained the two tanker drivers, identified as Rabhi Ahmed Rabee and Qassem Mohammed Rabee, and took them towards a military camp near Khirbet al-Markaz in Masafer Yatta, WAFA reported.
The incident comes amid continuing restrictions affecting access to basic services in Masafer Yatta, where residents have faced prolonged difficulties in securing adequate water supplies.
A United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report said water and sanitation services remain constrained in parts of the West Bank, including Masafer Yatta, because of movement restrictions, damage to infrastructure, demolitions and other access-related pressures. The UN said water supply to 11 communities in Masafer Yatta had been disrupted since late January, forcing residents to rely on emergency water trucking.
A more recent OCHA report also documented demolitions in Masafer Yatta in early September. Between September 2 and 8, Israeli forces carried out two waves of demolitions in three Palestinian communities in the area, with 49 structures demolished and 57 people displaced, according to the UN agency.
The importance of water tankers to communities in the area was highlighted in separate reporting by the Palestinian News Network in August. Tanker drivers said they routinely travel between scattered communities in Masafer Yatta to deliver water amid shortages, while roadblocks and security incidents can significantly delay or disrupt deliveries.
The at-Tuwani Area Village Council, which represents communities in Masafer Yatta, has also reported continuing military and settler-related incidents in the region. The council describes itself as an elected body representing At-Tuwani, Mfuqra, Rakeez and Khalet A-Daba communities.
Masafer Yatta, a predominantly rural area in the southern Hebron Hills, has been the focus of a prolonged dispute over land, military restrictions, demolitions and access to essential services. The UN estimates that around 1,200 Palestinians live across 13 communities in the area designated by Israeli authorities as Firing Zone 918.
The latest confiscation further disrupted the delivery of water to communities already dependent on tanker supplies to meet their basic needs.