# Simra

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Palestinian hamlet in the South Hebron Hills (Masafer Yatta)

This article is about the hamlet in [Masafer Yatta](/source/Masafer_Yatta) called Simra/Simri. For the Jordan Valley hamlet, see [Khirbet es-Samra](/source/Khirbet_es-Samra).

Hamlet in Hebron Governorate, State of Palestine

Khirbet Simra خِرْبِة سِمْرِي / سِمْرَة Khirbet Simri; Simra; Simri; She'b al-Batem (area) Hamlet Khirbet Simra Location within the West Bank, Palestine Coordinates: 31°23′28″N 35°07′25″E / 31.3912°N 35.1237°E / 31.3912; 35.1237 State State of Palestine Governorate Hebron Governorate Area Masafer Yatta Elevation 743 m (2,438 ft) Time zone UTC+2 • Summer (DST) UTC+3

**Khirbet Simra** (also: **Khirbet Simri**, Arabic: **خِرْبِة سِمْرِي/سِمْرَة**) is a small [Palestinian](/source/Palestinians) herding hamlet in the [South Hebron Hills](/source/South_Hebron_Hills), within the [Masafer Yatta](/source/Masafer_Yatta) cluster of communities in the [Hebron Governorate](/source/Hebron_Governorate) of the southern [West Bank](/source/West_Bank). Like other Masafer Yatta localities, it lies in [Area C](/source/Area_C); since the 1980s much of the surrounding area has been designated [Firing Zone 918](/source/Firing_Zone_918), constraining planning, services and access.[1] Human-rights documentation describes Simra/Simri as a branch of the nearby [Qawawis](/source/Quwawis) community that has faced coercive conditions and, at times, abandonment by residents.[2]

## Geography

Simra/Simri is part of the dispersed cave-dwelling and herding landscape east of [Yatta](/source/Yatta%2C_Hebron) that comprises [Masafer Yatta](/source/Masafer_Yatta). Humanitarian profiles describe similar communities as relying on rain-fed cisterns, agricultural tracks between hamlets, and seasonal grazing areas.[1]

## History

1880s [PEF Survey of Palestine](/source/PEF_Survey_of_Palestine) map of Masafer Yatta

Simra, like the other Masafer Yatta [hamlets](/source/Hamlets), developed as a permanent settlement around [caves](/source/Caves) used for dwelling, storage, and [animal shelters](/source/Animal_shelters). Surveys from the [British Mandate](/source/Mandatory_Palestine) period include Simra as one of the Yatta extensions, and archaeological traces such as cisterns and terraces attest to continuous use. Despite its small size, the village is consistently remembered by residents as part of the organic network of hamlets in southern Mount Hebron.[3]

Families in Simra/Simri historically practiced semi-sedentary [pastoralism](/source/Pastoralism) and dryland cultivation, with caves and stone rooms used for housing and storage—patterns attested across the South Hebron Hills.[1] According to [B’Tselem](/source/B'Tselem), residents of the **Khirbet Simri** community (linked to [Qawawis](/source/Quwawis)) were ultimately forced to abandon homes amid a coercive environment of violence and restrictions.[2]

## Legal–administrative context

Administrative map of the area

Following the [1967](/source/Six-Day_War) war, the area came under Israeli occupation and was later categorized as [Area C](/source/Area_C) under the [Oslo Accords](/source/Oslo_Accords). Large parts of Masafer Yatta were declared [Firing Zone 918](/source/Firing_Zone_918) in the 1980s, restricting construction and service connections and exposing communities to [demolitions](/source/Demolition) and risk of [forcible transfer](/source/Ethnic_cleansing). In May 2022, the [Supreme Court of Israel](/source/Supreme_Court_of_Israel) (HCJ 413/13, consolidated) ruled there was no legal bar to evacuations for training in parts of Masafer Yatta, drawing criticism from UN experts and legal scholars.[1][4][5]

## Access and services

- **Road access:** Access is via unpaved agricultural tracks connecting adjacent hamlets; humanitarian sources note recurrent constraints typical of firing-zone localities.[1]

- **Water and power:** Households commonly rely on [cisterns](/source/Cistern), trucked water and small solar arrays in lieu of permitted grid connections.[1]

## Population and livelihoods

Simra/Simri's families rely primarily on small-ruminant herding (goats and sheep), seasonal grazing and limited dryland plots, reflecting broader [Masafer Yatta](/source/Masafer_Yatta) patterns under Area C restrictions.[1] B’Tselem reports that residents of the Simri community associated with Qawawis have, at times, left the site entirely due to ongoing pressures.[2]

## Notable incidents

- **16 January 2021:** B’Tselem documented settlers entering the village of **Khirbet Simri** and attempting to steal a horse; residents intervened and a scuffle ensued.[6]

- **Documented pattern:** B’Tselem's community page for **Khirbet Simri** describes cumulative intimidation and constraints culminating in residents abandoning their homes.[2]

## Distinction from similarly named localities

- **Khirbet Samra (الأغوار الشمالية)** in the northern Jordan Valley is a different community and should not be confused with **Simra/Simri** in Masafer Yatta.[7]

## See also

- [Masafer Yatta](/source/Masafer_Yatta)

- [South Hebron Hills](/source/South_Hebron_Hills)

- [Firing Zone 918](/source/Firing_Zone_918)

- [Quwawis](/source/Quwawis)

- [Israeli–Palestinian conflict](/source/Israeli%E2%80%93Palestinian_conflict)

## External links

- [UN OCHA – fact sheet on Masafer Yatta communities (2022)](https://www.ochaopt.org/content/masafer-yatta-communities-risk-forcible-transfer-june-2022)

- [B’Tselem – Masafer Yatta background](https://www.btselem.org/south_hebron_hills/masafer_yatta)

- [B’Tselem – Khirbet Simri community (overview)](https://www.btselem.org/node/215134)

- [B’Tselem – Khirbet Simri incident report (16 Jan 2021)](https://www.btselem.org/node/214246)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-OCHA2022_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-OCHA2022_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-OCHA2022_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-OCHA2022_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-OCHA2022_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-OCHA2022_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-OCHA2022_1-6) ["Fact sheet: Masafer Yatta communities at risk of forcible transfer"](https://www.ochaopt.org/content/masafer-yatta-communities-risk-forcible-transfer-june-2022). UN OCHA. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-BTS-simri-overview_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-BTS-simri-overview_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-BTS-simri-overview_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-BTS-simri-overview_2-3) ["The Khirbet Simri community in the South Hebron Hills – forced to abandon their homes"](https://www.btselem.org/node/215134). B’Tselem. Retrieved 24 August 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Amira Hass, "Israel Blew Up Their Houses in 1966. Now It Claims Their Village Never Existed," *Haaretz*, 27 April 2021](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-04-27/ty-article-magazine/.premium/israel-blew-up-their-houses-in-1966-now-it-claims-their-village-never-existed/0000017f-f319-d497-a1ff-f399e2e50000)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-HCJ2022_4-0)** ["HCJ 413/13 et al. – Masafer Yatta judgment (English translation)"](https://www.btselem.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/20220504_hjc_413_13_hcj_1039_13_masafer_yata_ruling_eng.pdf) (PDF). Supreme Court of Israel (via B’Tselem). 4 May 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-OHCHR2022_5-0)** ["UN experts alarmed by Israel High Court ruling on Masafer Yatta and risk of imminent forcible transfer"](https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/05/un-experts-alarmed-israel-high-court-ruling-masafer-yatta-and-risk-imminent). OHCHR. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-BTS-160121_6-0)** ["She'b al-Batem (Khirbet Simri), South Hebron Hills – settlers try to steal a horse"](https://www.btselem.org/node/214246). B’Tselem. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-WAFA-samra_7-0)** ["مستعمرون يقتحمون خربة سمرة بالأغوار الشمالية"](https://wafa.ps/Pages/Details/127536) (in Arabic). WAFA. 9 August 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.

v t e Masafer Yatta Villages and hamlets Al-Fakhit Al-Halawa Al-Majaz Al-Mifqara Al-Mirkaz Al-Rakiz Al-Tabban Al-Tha'la Al-Tuba Bir al-Idd Harabat al-Nabi Isfay al-Fauqa Isfay al-Tahta Jinba Khallit al-Dabe' Lasafer Maghayir al-Abeed Quwawis Saddet al-Tha'la Sarura Shi'b al-Butm Simra Tuweimin Umm al-Khair Incorporated villages At-Tuwani Imneizil Related topics South Hebron Hills Hebron Governorate Yatta Firing Zone 918 Killing of Awdah Hathaleen No Other Land

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Simra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simra) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simra?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.