A section of the concrete security barrier separating Tel Lachish-area communities from the West Bank collapsed during heavy rainfall on November 25, with Israeli police attributing the incident to alleged military negligence over drainage maintenance.

The separation wall, also known as the Israeli "West Bank barrier", is a network of concrete walls, electronic fences, and trenches that divides much of the occupied West Bank from Israel. It is primarily built within Palestinian territory and does not follow internationally recognised borders or the 1960s agreed separation lines.

The collapsed section is located between Moshav Eliav in the Lachish region and the West Bank, Ynet reported on November 25. The concrete wall is designed to prevent Palestinians, or as Israel describes the entrants as "terrorists and illegal workers" from entering Israeli territory. 

The Defence Ministry stated that "following exceptional weather conditions in the southern Hebron Hills area, a limited section of the seam line was damaged. Forces are currently operating at the site, and the IDF has formulated a temporary operational response in the area."

A police source claimed the collapse resulted from negligence by IDF personnel who failed to open or properly maintain the drainage system running beneath the wall, causing water accumulation that brought down the section.

"The army didn't do what was required around the fence; this is a known issue," the source said. "Now the police have to deal with the consequences like Palestinians entering."

A Defence Ministry source countered that "opening or closing water passages is carried out according to situation assessments and takes into account many variables, primarily preventing the passage of terrorist elements."

The wall cuts off around 150 Palestinian communities from their agricultural lands, workplaces, and services, creating significant hardship and isolating individuals from vital resources.

The International Court of Justice declared the wall illegal, as it does not sit entirely on the 1949 Armistice 'Green Line' and instead annexes Palestinian territory at several points.