Sun Aug 03 14:58:37 UTC 2025: **News Article:**

**Israel’s Home Demolitions in West Bank Reach Record High, Displacing Thousands**

**West Bank –** Israel is carrying out more demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures in the occupied West Bank this year than in any other year since the occupation began in 1967, according to the United Nations and Palestinian human rights organizations. As of this year, Israeli authorities have already destroyed 783 structures, leading to the forced displacement of 1,119 people. In addition, about 900 structures in Palestinian refugee camps have been destroyed, according to Al-Haq.

The demolitions, often justified by Israel as targeting illegal construction or occurring in designated “military zones,” are leaving families like Mutawakil al-Mohamad’s with nowhere to go. Al-Mohamad, along with his family, was forced from their East Jerusalem home after soldiers arrived with bulldozers and ordered them to vacate immediately.

Human rights groups argue that the demolitions are part of a systematic effort to make life unbearable for Palestinians, encouraging them to leave the West Bank. Murad Jadallah, a human rights researcher with Al-Haq, stated that “Israel’s goal in the West Bank is the same as its goal in Gaza. … It wants to target all Palestinians.”

The situation is exacerbated by Israel’s recent orders granting it additional authority to demolish homes in Area B of the West Bank, previously under the Palestinian Authority’s control. These measures enable Israel to destroy Palestinian homes by claiming the owners do not have building permits, which Israel systematically denies to Palestinians.

The demolitions have led to a refugee crisis within the West Bank, with an estimated 40,000 Palestinians fleeing military operations in refugee camps since the start of the year. Many are struggling to find affordable housing, forced to live in overcrowded conditions or public shelters.

International law prohibits Israel from destroying private property in occupied Palestinian territory. Tahani Mustafa, an expert on the West Bank with the International Crisis Group, warned that Israel appears to be trying to confine Palestinians to ever smaller pockets of land, with the ultimate plan to make life unbearable in urban centers.

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