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‎1,500 face displacement as Israel demolishes Palestinian homes in Naqab  ‎

Israeli forces resume demolishing Palestinian homes in villages in Naqab, displacing hundreds.

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Israeli forces raze the entire village of Wadi al-Khalil in the Naqab, May 8, 2024. (Photo by +972 Magazine)

‎Israeli forces have resumed months-long "ethnic cleansing" campaign by demolishing Palestinian homes in a Bedouin village in the Negev desert in the southern part of the occupied territories.

‎On Sunday, bulldozers, accompanied by large contingents of Israeli police and special units, stormed al-Sir village in the Naqab area and began demolishing dozens of homes.

‎The latest destruction was carried out under a heavy Israeli forces presence, with reports of force being used against residents during the demolitions.

‎The new Israeli demolitions in the occupied region have placed around 1,500 Palestinians at risk of displacement and left hundreds of families without shelter.

‎The latest demolitions follow an earlier campaign by Israel that destroyed most homes in the village in late 2025.

‎"These demolitions are a continuation of what began in December," Jumaa Zabarqa, from the Steering Committee for Bedouin Affairs in the Naqab, said.

‎Israeli authorities destroyed around 320 out of approximately 350 homes in December across the occupied region, leaving hundreds of Palestinian families without shelter.

‎Since then, many residents have been living in harsh conditions, often in tents, unprotected from the weather and without access to basic infrastructure, including electricity and adequate services.

‎The renewed demolitions come amid ongoing disputes over land classification and building permits, frequently cited by Israeli authorities to justify the displacement of Palestinians and the destruction of their homes.

‎The homes were targeted and demolished under the pretext of "lacking permits," even though the Palestinian residents are the original inhabitants of the land.

‎Zabarqa said residents have lived on the land for decades, while Israeli authorities claim the area is a "military zone" — a classification often used to ethnically cleanse Palestinian communities, whether in the Naqab region or the occupied West Bank.

‎Local Palestinian residents face repeated demolitions by Israel under policies targeting so-called "unrecognized" Palestinian villages in the Naqab.

‎Analysts say that the developments in al-Sir reflect an ongoing pattern of repeated demolitions, with residents subjected to cycles of destruction and temporary displacement over recent months.