HEBRON, West Bank (PNN) — 

In a cave in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, Palestinian resident Mamoun Ahmed Omar has made a home for his family that is far removed from conventional housing, saying he has gradually adapted to life underground and found a sense of comfort in its simplicity.

Mamoun, from the Beit al-Roush area, said his family moved into the cave at the start of the war. Over time, he said, he and his children became accustomed to their surroundings, with his children eventually becoming more attached to the cave than to the house the family owns.

The cave consists of two rooms — one for the family and another used to receive guests. Despite the stark differences between cave life and living in a conventional home, Mamoun said the family had adapted to their surroundings.

His children, he said, had learned practical skills connected to life on the land, including farming, caring for livestock and managing the demands of rural life — things they had previously known little about.

Mamoun also said the lifestyle had coincided with an improvement in his family's health. He said they had previously needed to visit doctors frequently, but that during the three years they have lived in the cave, their medical visits have declined.

Life in the cave is not without challenges, but Mamoun said it has advantages that have encouraged the family to remain there, particularly when basic necessities are difficult to obtain.

When cooking gas runs out, for example, the family can prepare food over a fire. The lack of electricity and household appliances, meanwhile, has gradually become less disruptive to their daily lives than he had initially expected.

Mamoun said the biggest factor helping him maintain this way of life was the support of his wife and children. His children had become accustomed to the cave and now preferred staying there to returning to the family home, he said.

Yet he has not lost his attachment to the home and land he left behind.

Mamoun said he still longs for his house, his land and his trees, and hopes eventually to return, work his land and care for his trees.

Between life in a conventional home and life in a cave, Mamoun said, acceptance has made his circumstances easier to bear.

"When a person is content with his life, he can adapt to it, no matter how simple it is," he said.

Background

Masafer Yatta, a collection of Palestinian communities in the southern Hebron Hills, has for years faced displacement pressures, home demolitions and restrictions on construction and access to land. Residents have also reported attacks and harassment by Israeli settlers, adding to the insecurity faced by communities already living under difficult conditions.

Rights groups and Palestinian officials have repeatedly warned that settler violence, demolitions and restrictions threaten the ability of Palestinian families to remain on their land and maintain their livelihoods. Residents say such pressures affect not only their homes, but also farming, access to water, education and other basic aspects of daily life.

For families in Masafer Yatta, maintaining a home — whether a conventional house or a cave — has therefore become closely tied to their ability to remain on their land and preserve their way of life.

This video was produced with financial support from CFI, Expertise France and the European Union. The beneficiary is solely responsible for the content of this document, which in no way reflects the views of CFI, Expertise France or the European Union.