Palestinian living in caves older than Israel

What the report says

Farhan al Rashaydeh, a Palestinian man living with his family in a cave in the occupied West Bank, is the focus of an Al Jazeera report published on 18 August 2026. The piece describes how the family’s home is a cave dwelling and presents it as both a place they say they love and a practical response to their circumstances.

According to Al Jazeera, the decision to live in the cave was shaped in part by Israel’s building rules in the occupied West Bank, which the report says make it difficult for most Palestinians to obtain construction permits. The article does not give further details about the family’s location or living conditions, but it places their story within the broader reality of restricted Palestinian access to legal building approvals.

The report highlights the human side of a wider land-use and permitting dispute in the occupied territory. Cave habitation has long existed in parts of the West Bank and, more generally, is associated with communities that have remained in place despite political control, land restrictions, and limited infrastructure. In this case, Al Jazeera uses al Rashaydeh’s story to illustrate how policy and daily life intersect for Palestinians seeking a stable home.