Israel Occupation Forces demolish three Palestinian homes

The Israeli authorities are continuing their demolition and bulldozing operations in the occupied West Bank, while forcing a citizen in 1948-occupied Palestine — the occupation state itself — to demolish his home, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported.

In Jericho, Israeli bulldozers demolished a home on Tuesday morning belonging to Hala Abbasi. The home, to the east of the city, was knocked down on the pretext that it was built without a permit. The Israel Occupation Forces (IOF) stormed the Sama Areha area of Jericho with two armoured bulldozers, and began the demolition despite objections from the homeowners and the lack of a ruling from an Israeli court on the matter.

Neighbour Sahar Barakat expressed her surprise at the IOF incursion and the demolition starting without giving the owners time to evacuate. She underlined the fact that the IOF had previously notified the homeowners of a ban on construction, but they had obtained all the necessary permits imposed by the occupation and completed all approvals. However, once they had finished the construction process, the demolition took place.

In Bethlehem, IOF soldiers invaded the town of Tuqu’ south east of the city, also accompanied by bulldozers, and began demolishing a two-story residential building belonging to the brothers Osama and Taysir Hasan Musa Suleiman. Each floor of the building covered 300 square metres. The IOF sealed off the area, preventing anyone from approaching, and ordered the homeowners to evacuate immediately.

In 1948-occupied Palestine, the Israeli authorities forced Muhammad Zahi Ighbarieh from the village of Mismas in the Wadi Ara area to demolish his home, under the threat of forced demolition and hefty fines. An Israeli court had passed a demolition verdict against the home under the pretext of “building without a permit” and notified Ighbarieh that the demolition would be carried out at any time.

Despite his efforts to appeal against the decision in court, Ighbarieh’s attempts to protect the home he built in 2009 on his own land in the western part of the village, which is considered a natural extension for urban expansion due to the significant population density in the village, were unsuccessful.

The father of three expressed his deep sadness after being forced to demolish his home, which cost him about 1.2 million shekels, confirming that the Israeli authorities informed him that the demolition would be carried out at any moment, which would force him to pay additional costs if he did not demolish it himself.

Last year saw the highest rate of Israeli violations against Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem compared with the past five years, indicating a clear escalation of the Israeli occupation state’s crimes and brutality, alongside the continuation of its aggressive policies toward Palestinians.

The Palestinian Information Centre documented 53,052 violations, covering all types of crimes and violations committed by the IOF and settlers, including killings, deportations, arrests, home demolitions, land bulldozing, property confiscation and attacks on the education and health sectors, in violation of all international treaties and agreements.

According to the centre, the number of homes demolished by the occupation in the West Bank and Jerusalem was 508 in 2024, in addition to hundreds of homes threatened with demolition. In the territories occupied in 1948, the Israeli authorities continued demolishing and confiscating Palestinian properties, with a total of 81 homes and properties demolished, along with dozens of homes notified of demolition under the pretext of unauthorised construction.

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