Al-Tha'la

Coordinates: 31°22′07″N 35°08′03″E / 31.3685°N 35.1342°E / 31.3685; 35.1342StateState of PalestineGovernorateHebron GovernorateAreaMasafer YattaElevation681 m (2,234 ft)Time zoneUTC+2 • Summer (DST)UTC+3

al-Tha'la (Arabic: الثعلة, also transliterated Ath-Tha'lah, Khirbet ath-Tha'la) is a small Palestinian herding hamlet in the South Hebron Hills, within the Masafer Yatta cluster of communities in the Hebron Governorate of the southern West Bank. Like other Masafer Yatta localities, it lies in Area C; since the 1980s much of the surrounding area has been designated Firing Zone 918, constraining planning, services and access.[1] It is distinct from the nearby hamlet of Sadat al-Tha'la (Saddet/Sa‘adet ath-Tha‘la), which lies roughly 1.6 km away.[2]

Al-Tha'la stands at about 681 metres above sea level in the eastern South Hebron Hills landscape of dispersed cave-dwelling and herding sites that comprise Masafer Yatta.[2][1] Elevation/topographic listings place it near Umm al-Kheir, Tuba, At-Tuwani, Al Jwaya and Ad Deirat, with Saadet (Sadat) al-Tha'la c. 1.6 km away.[2]

While specific archaeological soundings at al-Tha'la are not published, the broader Masafer Yatta area (Arabic masāfer, “travelling”) has long supported semi-sedentary pastoralism, including cave-adapted dwelling and seasonal use of cisterns, threshing floors and stone enclosures, noted in surveys of the South Hebron Hills.[1]

In 1838, Edward Robinson and noted al-Tha'ly as a ruin located south of Jabal al-Khalil.[3]

Following the June 1967 war, the area came under Israeli occupation and was later categorized as Area C under the Oslo Accords. In the 1980s, large parts of Masafer Yatta were declared Firing Zone 918, restricting civilian construction, service connections and access to land.[1] In May 2022, the Supreme Court of Israel dismissed petitions against expulsion within the firing zone, a decision widely criticized by legal scholars and human-rights groups.[4]

• Road access: Al-Tha'la is reached by unpaved agricultural tracks connecting surrounding hamlets; humanitarian sources describe recurrent access constraints typical of firing-zone localities.[1]
• Water and power: Households rely on rain-fed cisterns and trucked water; electricity is typically provided by small solar arrays.[1]
• Livelihoods: Families rely on mixed herding (goats and sheep), dryland farming and seasonal grazing, consistent with regional patterns.[1]

• 2024-2025: Local media documented repeated settler incursions and harassment of herders in the al-Tha'la area of Masafer Yatta, including attempts to scatter flocks and intimidate shepherds.[5] In a separate report, Palestinian television reported Israeli forces compelling a family to dismantle a tent in the al-Tha'la area.[6]

• Masafer Yatta
• South Hebron Hills
• Firing Zone 918
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict

• UN OCHA - fact sheet on Masafer Yatta communities (2022)
• Bimkom - Saddet (Sadat) al-Tha'la
• ElevationMap.net - Tha'lah, Hebron (elevation & nearby localities)