Ten families have recently settled in a new neighbourhood near the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reports, citing the Israel Hayom newspaper.

The new neighbourhood, called Aviad, marks the first Israeli expansion in the Kiryat Arba area in decades.

The Kiryat Arba Council said the settlement aims to “sever the geographical connection between Palestinian lands from Hebron to the Negev Desert and strengthen the connection” between Israeli settlements in the area.

All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law.