MSF condemns Israel over plans for eviction of 1000 Palestinians from homes

“This plan would mean the imminent forcible displacement of almost the entire population of Masafer Yatta,” says David Cantero Pérez, MSF head of mission. “Where are all these families to go? This is completely unacceptable.”

According to MSF's statement, Israeli authorities have put extraordinary pressure on residents of Masafer Yatta to leave the area.

As well as demolishing people’s homes, they have installed checkpoints, confiscated residents’ vehicles, and enforced curfews and other movement restrictions. These measures, which have intensified in recent months, have severely impacted residents’ freedom of movement, mental health and ability to access basic services, including medical care, said MSF teams working in the area.

One elderly woman described to MSF staff the moment that Israeli authorities came to demolish her home for the fourth time in two years.

“I felt like I was suffocating, like I was blind, like my hands were tied,” says the woman. “My children were in school when the demolition started, they came out to watch. They were in shock, in complete silence.”

Another resident told MSF: “They choose the winter for demolishing houses. Tonight, our family will sleep in the car, or in a tent in the cold. It’s going to be 5 degrees Celsius tonight.”

MSF teams run three clinics in the Masafer Yatta area, providing residents with basic healthcare. This includes mental health support and sexual and reproductive health services, with a focus on women, children and patients with chronic diseases. In 2022, MSF provided 3,066 medical consultations in the area.