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.

Israel’s mini-Cabinet for security and political affairs concluded its emergency meeting on June 9 by ordering a near-complete siege on the city of Yatta and revoking the work permits of the perpetrators’ family members. The mayor of the Yatta municipality, Moussa Makhamra, told Al-Monitor, “Israel has used all sorts of collective punishment in the city since June 9. The army closed 12 entrances with sand berms and cement blocks, turning Yatta into a large prison in which 120,000 people are detained.” He is not related to the attackers but belongs to the Makhamra tribe, the largest in Yatta.

“The siege deprived all the towns and villages surrounding Yatta from many services such as health care, supplies and trade, which Yatta usually provides. By isolating the city, Israel suspended all daily activities,” he added.