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HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Israeli settlers on Tuesday annexed privately-owned Palestinian land to expand an illegal outpost south of Hebron, a local official said.

Coordinator of the committee against settlements Ratib al-Jubour said in a statement that settlers from Avigayil outpost were digging up land belonging to the Jabarin and Muhammad families in Masafer Yatta, an area at the southern tip of the West Bank.

Settlers work at night preparing to construct new buildings, al-Jubour said. "They leave the area when land owners arrive in the morning."

Meanwhile, settlers from Maon settlement frequently harass Palestinian children on their way to school.

Children walk five kilometers from their homes to the al-Tuwani village elementary school. "The pupils are scared as settlers point their guns towards them," al-Jubour said.

All Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law. Israel distinguishes between illegal settlements it has approved and illegal outposts which were never granted official authorization.