RAMALLAH, West Bank — There are 120,000 Palestinians living in the city of Yatta, which makes up 25% of the Hebron area, south of the West Bank. The second-largest city in Hebron governorate in terms of area and population, Yatta has been living under siege since the day after the June 8 Tel Aviv attack, which was perpetrated by two Palestinian cousins from Yatta, Mohammed and Khaled Makhamra. To isolate the city, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) closed its entrances using cement blocks and sand and stone berms, carrying out raids and searches in many of the city’s houses.
On the afternoon of June 15, the IDF tightened its hold on Yatta, closing the city’s entrances, blocking its dirt back roads and the ones linking it with the surrounding areas. The move came a few hours after the IDF had temporarily opened two roads leading to Yatta, only to block them again, forcing Palestinians to take little-used paths to Hebron or Ramallah for their daily activities and jobs.
