Statistic/Fact	Value
Israeli occupation date	October 21, 1948
Distance from district center	21 (km) Northwest of Hebron
Elevation from the sea	425 (meters)
Map location	See location number #4 on the map
Israeli military operation	Operation ha-Har
Israeli attacking brigade	Fourth Battalion of the Har'el Brigade
Village defenders	Egyptian Muslim Brotherhoods, local Palestinian militias and some Arab Liberation Army volunteers.
Refugees' migration route	Many of Bayt Natiff's inhabitants headed for the Hebron hills, and some stayed in the nearby caves for some time.
Exodus Cause	Military assault by Jewish troops
Village remains after destruction by Israelis	Bayt Natiff was completely destroyed, and only house rubble left behind.
Ethnically cleansing by Israelis	Bayt Nattif inhabitants were completely ethnically cleansed.
Terminating refugee camps	Villagers mostly live in Deheishe, 'Aida, and 'Azza Refugee Camps (in the occupied Bethlehem District)
Land ownership before occupation	Ethnic Group Land Ownership (Dunums) Arab 32,762 Jewish 0 Public 11,825 Total 44,587
Land usage in 1945	Land Usage Type Arab (Dunum) Irrigated & Plantation 688 Area planted w/ olives 620 Planted W/ Cereal 20,149 Built up 162 Cultivable 20,837 Non-Cultivable 23,588
Population before occupation	Year Population 1931 1,649 1945 2,150 1948 2,494 Est. Refugees 1998 15,316
Number of houses	In (1931): 329 (includes Khirbat Umm al-Rus)
Town's name through history	The Old Testament referred to Bayt Nattif by Tappuach, and the Romans called it Beyt Letepha.
Schools	The village had an elementary school for boys.
Religious institutions	One mosque
Shrines/maqams	Bayt Nattif contained several shrines, the most prominent among of these shrines was dedicated to al-Shaykh Ibrahim.
Water supplies	Bayt Natif had three wells which supplied it with its water needs.
Archeological sites	The village has about a dozen khirbas lay nearby in its vicinity.
Exculsive jewish colonies on town's lands	Neliv ha-Lamed-He, Avi'ezer, Roglit, and Newe Mikha'el.
Related Maps	خرائط تفصيلية للمحافظة View from satellite Help us map this town at WikiMapia
More Information	Language External Links Arabic PalGates Hebrew Nakba in Hebrew   Nakba-Online

Bibliography and References

Town Today

According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the village remaining structures on the village land are:
"Piles of rubble that have been cleared by bulldozers are scattered over a wide area. Six steel beams stand in the midst of the debris at the site's center. In the rubble one can also see the remnants of arched house entrances."

• Nakba Oral History Podcast: Interview Muhammad Abdelfattah Abu Sh'eirah
• Nakba Oral History Podcast: Interview with Hunsi Abu Tarbush