Israeli occupation forces notified to demolish a primary school in Masafer Yatta area to the south of Hebron, in the southern occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

Israeli forces distributed notices for the demolition of a primary school and a mosque under construction in Khirbet Um Gussa, a locale in Masafer Yatta, citing unpermitted construction as a pretext, local activist Fouad al-Amour told Palestinian news agency WAFA.

The school's director, Yusef Al-Basaita, stated that the school provides classes to 50 students and serves three marginalized communities in Masafer Yatta, which is classified as Area C under full Israeli military control. It is one of 17 Tahadi schools - named after the Arabic word for “challenge” - in Area C.

All 17 schools were built by the Palestinian Authority, many with European Union funding, to provide education to otherwise marginalized rural communities dispersed throughout the West Bank.

Israel constantly demolishes structures built by Palestinians in Area C, including the Jordan Valley, claiming they were built without a permit, rarely, if ever, issued for Palestinians. It does not allow any development there while using the occupied land for its illegal settlement activity.

Area C makes up more than 60 percent of the area of the occupied West Bank.