Water tankers brave risks to supply drought-hit communities in Masafer Yatta

HEBRON, West Bank / PNN /

As a prolonged water crisis grips the rural area of Masafer Yatta, water tanker drivers continue to travel between scattered communities to deliver much-needed supplies, despite dangerous conditions and obstacles that can turn a single journey into hours-long journeys.

Rabhi Rabee, a water tanker driver from Masafer Yatta, said his work involves reaching around 10 communities across the المنطقة, noting that some trips can take two to three hours, while others take about an hour, depending on road conditions and the security situation.

He said delivering water has become an essential task amid the ongoing shortages, warning that any stop in tanker services would leave residents facing extremely difficult conditions.

“When there are no settlers or obstacles on the road, things go normally and we are able to deliver water to people ,” Rabee said. “But when there are settlers or roadblocks, we have to hide or look for alternative routes to avoid danger.”

Rabee said he has encountered multiple incidents with settlers while on the job. In one instance, he said, a settler herding sheep blocked his road while he was heading toward the community of Jinba with a full tanker.

“We managed to deliver the water, but on our way back, a settler stopped us,” he said. “We continued driving, but settlers followed us from Al-Fakhit to Al-Tuwani.”

He added that settlers later located them in Al-Tuwani and attempted to detain them, though they were able to leave the area. About half an hour later, he said, Israeli soldiers arrived at his uncle’s home, where he was present, and detained them for around three hours, alleging that they had assaulted a settler.

Rabee said passing through areas where settlers are present requires extreme caution. “You either find an alternative route or wait until it’s safe to pass,” he said. “The important thing is to take precautions and avoid danger as much as possible. If you can’t, you return the next day.”

He stressed that delivering water to Masafer Yatta under current conditions is “extremely important,” especially as residents rely almost entirely on tanker deliveries.

“If water trucks stop coming to Masafer Yatta, the situation will become unbearable,” he said. “Water has become more important than electricity — more important than anything. It is the basis of life here.”

Despite the risks, Rabee described successfully delivering water as a significant achievement. “I don’t say I am a hero, but risking your life to deliver water and reaching people in the end — that is something great,” he said.

He added that although every route carries danger, he continues his work. “All the roads are dangerous, and beyond that it’s exhausting, but I am happy to deliver water,” he said. “There is fear, but we have the strength to keep going.”

Rabee said that encountering obstacles does not mean stopping work, but rather finding ways to adapt and continue, even if it means returning the following day to complete deliveries.

He concluded by stressing that residents urgently need a restoration of regular water access, noting that tankers have become the primary — and often only — source of water.

“We go to Masafer Yatta for the people,” he said. “We hope water will return to them soon and life will go back to normal.”

Under these conditions, delivering water remains an essential task that cannot be paused. Despite fear, obstruction and pursuit, tanker drivers continue their work, driven by residents’ need for basic necessities, as communities await the restoration of regular water supplies and an end to their reliance on tankers as a lifeline.

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