Hebron – A recent Palestinian report revealed that the Israeli occupation army destroyed and confiscated 1986 wells, pools, water tanks, and water trucks in the West Bank over the past ten years. The report, issued by the non-governmental ‘Land Research Center’ and shared with Al Jazeera Net, highlights the policy of forced dehydration in the West Bank, confirming that “demolishing wells, confiscating water, and seizing springs is a systematic Israeli policy to push Palestinians towards forced displacement.” The field research team documented from 2015 until June 2025 the destruction of 1986 wells, pools, water tanks, and water trucks by the occupation and settlers. The data included 1304 wells destroyed by the army, 443 wells targeted by settlers, and 239 cases of water truck confiscation. The destruction caused by the army damaged 19,550 dunams of agricultural land (one dunam equals 1,000 square meters), while settler attacks damaged over 10,400 dunams.

The report provided a breakdown by West Bank governorates, with Jenin in the north suffering the most damage with 343 wells, springs, tanks, and water trucks destroyed, followed by Hebron in the south with 282, Tubas with 219, Ramallah and Al-Bireh with 106, and other governorates. Details show destruction of 223 wells, 43 water pools, 23 main tanks, 24 artesian wells, 151 springs and water lines, and 840 plastic tanks or reservoirs. It also noted the destruction of 350 water tanks during Israeli incursions into Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps. The years 2023 and 2025 witnessed the largest military campaigns against wells, targeting 448 wells, tanks, and water trucks in 2023 and 248 in the first half of 2025. The report clarifies that attacks were not limited to demolishing wells or confiscating small tanks but included settlers taking control of water springs and establishing outposts nearby, such as the Sakut and Ain Halawa springs in central West Bank.

Settlers also prevented the drilling of wells or building water networks to utilize artesian wells now under settler control. Settler attacks escalated from settlements established on West Bank lands, creating new outposts around water springs, a policy that intensified after 2023. Recent incidents include sealing seven water springs with concrete in the town of Al-Dhahiriya south of Hebron in August 2025 and settlers taking control of a spring in the village of Farkha west of Salfit in July 2025. The report also mentions the establishment of three new colonial outposts in Jiftlik, Fasayil, and Ras Al-Auja in Jericho governorate in February 2025, as part of Judaization and resource seizure efforts. After seizing pastures and destroying crops, pastoral settlements now control agricultural water wells in Masafer Yatta south of Hebron.