Sadat al-Tha'la (Arabic: سادة الثعلة, also spelled Saddet Tha'la or Saadet Tha'lah) 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, and large parts of the surrounding landscape were designated Firing Zone 918 in the 1980s, constraining planning, service connections and access to land.
Geography Sadat al-Tha'la lies in the arid hillscape east of Yatta and close to Umm al-Kheir and Al-Tuba within the dispersed cave-dwelling and herding landscape of Masafer Yatta. Open-source elevation datasets place the hamlet at roughly 621 metres above sea level. A community profile notes historic reliance on caves and cisterns alongside seasonal grazing lands.
History Local documentation describes the hamlet's development around cave dwellings and dryland plots; families presently use only several of the original caves for housing, others serving as storage or wells.
Legal–administrative context Following the June 1967 war, the area came under Israeli occupation and was later included in Area C. In the 1980s, large parts of Masafer Yatta were declared Firing Zone 918. In 2016, a planning notice affecting lands of Khirbet Sadat al-Tha'la was publicized by the Israeli Civil Administration's Supreme Planning Council.
Access and services Road access: The hamlet is reached by unpaved agricultural tracks connecting nearby Masafer Yatta communities; humanitarian sources note recurrent access constraints typical of firing-zone localities. Water and power: Households rely on rain-fed cisterns, trucked water and small solar arrays, consistent with regional patterns. Local planning and structures: Field profiles list mixed building typologies (tents, tin shacks, stone rooms) and family-based land parcels.
Population and livelihoods A 2020 field report described about 100 residents relying on herding and dryland agriculture. Livelihoods centre on small-ruminant herding (goats and sheep), seasonal grazing and limited dryland plots, reflecting broader Masafer Yatta patterns.
Notable incidents 20 February 2025: Regional media citing the Palestinian news agency reported settlers released livestock onto crops in Khirbet Sadat al-Tha'la to destroy fields. 16 July 2025: WAFA reported armed settlers toured near homes in Khirbet Sadat al-Tha'la and raised flags while threatening residents with displacement. 5 July 2021: Local news noted the arrest of a resident from the Sadat al-Tha'la community.
See also Masafer Yatta South Hebron Hills Firing Zone 918 Israeli–Palestinian conflict
External links UN OCHA – materials on Masafer Yatta Bimkom – Saddet Tha'la community profile
References