Palestinians in Masafer Yatta whose homes were destroyed by IDF are living in caves

Emad Husheyah and his nine children live inside a cave. It's dark, cramped and, in his words, dangerous. WATCH VIDEO

Emad worries constantly the cave will collapse and kill his family. But the 39-year-old father felt he had no other option following the demolition of his family's house by the Israeli military. 

"It's not very safe in this cave … it's been here for thousands of years," he says. "There is no concrete to hold it together, or pillars for supporting the ceiling. During the rain and the snow, this could be a threat, it could collapse." 

The Husheyahs live in a remote desert village that is part of a region known as Masafer Yatta, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The residents of Masafer Yatta have been fighting in courts for decades against Israel's decision to declare the area a military firing zone.

FULL STORY In Masafer Yatta, Palestinian families whose homes were destroyed by Israel's military are living in caves (ABC)

WATCH: 1,000 Palestinians forcibly evicted from homes for Israel's military zone (ABC)

Photo: Emad Husheyah and his children have been living in a cave since their house was demolished (Haidarr Jones/ABC)