Kudna

The village of Kedna was situated on the lower slopes of the Hebron Mountains. A secondary road connected it to Bayt Jibrin, located 4 kilometers to the south, and from there extended to Hebron, Bethlehem, and al-Faluja. Other similar secondary and unpaved roads linked the village to neighboring villages in the region.

During the Crusader period, Kedna was known by the name Kitna. By the late 19th century, it was a small village situated on a low hill, surrounded by olive trees, with the ruins of a Crusader fortress rising at its center. The residents, all Muslims, had built their homes along the road that stretched from Bayt Jibrin to Dayr al-Diwan. This road ran through the village from north to south, forming its main thoroughfare. During the British Mandate period, new houses were built along both sides of this main street, extending northward.

The villagers sourced their drinking water from a well located on the eastern edge of the village. Most of Kedna’s agricultural lands lay to the west and were used to cultivate grains, vegetables, fruits such as figs, and various fruit-bearing trees, especially olives. The agriculture was predominantly rain-fed. In the agricultural year 1944/1945, a total of 6,505 dunums were allocated to grain cultivation, while 825 dunums were either irrigated or used for orchards.

Uncultivated areas, which included shrubs and wild grasses, served as pasture for goats and sheep raised by the villagers. One of Kedna’s archaeological sites contained the remains of a fortress, ancient building foundations, inhabited caves, and water cisterns. Approximately a dozen ruins (khirbas) were also located nearby.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing of the Village

Kedna was occupied under the same circumstances as the nearby village of ‘Ajjur, during Operation Yoav. The Israeli Giv’ati Brigade was responsible for its capture. Multiple sources agree that the village fell on October 22–23, 1948. According to Israeli historian Benny Morris, the residents who remained in the village were expelled, as occurred in other villages captured during the same operation.

The Village Today

The village houses were reduced to rubble and leveled, now overgrown with wild vegetation. The stones that once formed the garden walls of village homes are still visible. Cactus, carob, and olive trees grow on the site, and cypress trees can be seen to the south. The entire area has been flattened and is currently used by Israeli farmers as grazing land for livestock.

Israeli Settlements on Village Lands

In 1955, the settlement of Beit Nir was established on village lands to the west of the original site. It is also possible that the settlement of Yagil, founded earlier in 1952, was built on Kedna’s lands; however, it appears that this settlement did not prosper.