Leading to the Displacement of Dozens and the Loss of Livelihoods for Others
“Union for Justice”: The Occupation Carried Out More Than (45) Demolition Operations in the West Bank Last Month
8/8/2026 – Union for Justice Foundation
The Union for Justice Foundation stated that the Israeli occupation authorities carried out 45 demolition operations targeting Palestinian buildings and structures in the West Bank last July, resulting in the displacement of dozens of citizens and the loss of livelihoods for others.
The Foundation noted in its monthly report that the demolition operations were concentrated in the city of Jerusalem and affected a large number of industrial, commercial, agricultural, and livestock-related structures, in addition to residential homes.
It added: “A single demolition operation may affect dozens of commercial shops, multi-story residential buildings, agricultural and industrial sheds, and Bedouin communities extending across dozens of dunams, meaning that entire neighborhoods have been wiped off the map.”
The Union for Justice pointed out that, through the escalating demolition operations—which have become part of the daily Palestinian reality—the occupation authorities seek to confine and concentrate Palestinians in specific areas in order to facilitate control over them, while creating new spaces that allow for the expansion of settlements and the establishment of buffer zones separating these settlements from Palestinian communities.
The Israeli government, which is strongly dominated by the far right, fully supports the demolition of Palestinian structures in service of the settlement project in the West Bank. It views demolition as one of the means through which a policy of replacing Palestinians with settlers can be implemented.
During the past month, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich openly boasted about the destruction of Palestinian homes. In a post published on the X platform, he wrote: “We continue to enforce the law and prevent illegal construction and the Arab takeover of the West Bank. They acted for many years in the area as if it belonged to them. It is over. The West Bank is an integral part of the State of Israel and constitutes its security zone.”
Regarding the distribution of demolition operations across the Palestinian governorates, the Union for Justice recorded (9) demolition operations in Jerusalem Governorate, (8) in Hebron Governorate, (7) in Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, (5) in Bethlehem Governorate, (5) in Jenin Governorate, (3) in Nablus Governorate, and (2) in each of Salfit, the Jordan Valley, Tubas, and Qalqilya.
The Army and Settlers Also Carry Out Demolitions
The demolition of Palestinian structures has not been limited to the occupation authorities and their executive arm, the Israeli army. It has also extended to settler gangs, which have themselves become partners in demolition operations. On the twenty-fourth of last month, settlers brought in a bulldozer and demolished a water tank supplying the towns of Beit Furik and Beit Dajan, east of Nablus, and bulldozed land planted with olive trees in its vicinity.
The Union for Justice Foundation publishes below the details of the demolition operations it monitored during last May:
Demolition of Homes and Residential Apartments
2/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished the home of citizen Ali Mahmoud Suleiman, under the pretext of lacking a building permit, in the “Khirbet Al-Deir” area of Tuqu’ town, southeast of Bethlehem. The house consists of two floors, with each floor measuring 200 square meters.
2/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished part of the home of citizen Ata Muhammad Hussein Rabie in Buruqin town, west of Salfit. The house consists of one floor and measures 100 square meters.
7/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished two homes under construction in the village of Shuqba, west of Ramallah: the home of citizen Wael Salameh Qadah and the home of Abdul Qader Shalash. The two homes have a combined area of approximately 330 square meters.
7/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished the home of citizen Khalaf Yamin in Jit village, east of Qalqilya. The house measures approximately 175 square meters and consists of three floors.
7/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished two homes and a tent and filled in a water well in Yatta town, south of Hebron. The first was the home of Musa Ismail Al-Adra, measuring 200 square meters in the Al-Dowarat area east of Yatta and housing his family of nine. The second was the home of citizen Muhammad Taysir Al-Adra, measuring 200 square meters and housing five people. The bulldozers also filled in a water well with a capacity of 200 cubic meters and a tent erected on the rubble of a home demolished one month earlier, housing the family of citizen Radi Al-Jabarin, consisting of five members.
8/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished a residential building in Sur Baher, southeast of occupied Jerusalem, consisting of four apartments belonging to citizen Fouad Awadallah.
9/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished the home of citizen Iyad Musleh Al-Amour in Khallet Al-Maiyya, east of Yatta, south of Hebron. The house consists of two floors, measures 600 square meters, and houses three families comprising 15 people.
14/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished the home of citizen Ammar Al-Hathalin in Khirbet Umm Al-Khair in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron. The house, built of concrete blocks and corrugated metal sheets, measures 60 square meters and houses eight people.
14/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished the home of citizen Osama Issa Msa’ef in the Al-Deirat area east of Yatta, south of Hebron. The house measures 230 square meters and houses two families comprising 12 people. The bulldozers also filled in a water well with a capacity of 200 cubic meters.
14/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished the shelters of the Bedouin community established on lands west of Asira Al-Qibliya village, south of Nablus.
15/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished, near the entrance to Anza village south of Jenin, a three-story building belonging to citizen Hafiz Abu Qayas, with each floor measuring 320 square meters, under the pretext of construction without a permit. The building consists of a ground floor containing three shops, a second floor containing unoccupied apartments, and a third floor under construction.
20/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished, in the Jabal Malouh area east of Beit Awwa, west of Hebron, the home of citizen Ahmad Yaser Malouh Al-Masalmeh, measuring 160 square meters and consisting of one floor, in addition to a shed used as a vehicle parking area. The house was occupied by him and his ten family members.
20/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished in Beit Liqya, west of Ramallah, a home under construction belonging to citizen Ayed Fouad Badr, consisting of two floors and measuring 170 square meters. They also demolished a carpentry workshop belonging to citizen Mounir Suleiman Asim, as well as two sheds belonging to Mounir Assi and Najeh Bakr Assi, under the pretext of construction without a permit.
20/7/2026: Bulldozers demolished the home of citizen Muhammad Rayan in Beit Nuba village, southwest of Ramallah.
21/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished the home of citizen Fouad Jaradat in the Wadi Al-Sharakh area of Sa’ir town, east of Hebron. The house consists of two floors and measures 300 square meters.
21/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished the home of citizen Salameh Othman Wazwaz in the Al-Aswija neighborhood of Al-Ram town, north of occupied Jerusalem. The house houses six people and was built before 1967.
22/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished four homes in Nahalin, Bethlehem Governorate, belonging to Mahmoud Naim Fanoun (two floors), Mahmoud Husni Shakarna (one floor), and Malek Ribhi Najajra (one floor), while beginning the demolition of a fourth home belonging to citizen Jamil Muhammad Najajra.
22/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished in Za’atara, Bethlehem Governorate, the home of citizen Raed Hassan Abu Ra’aya, consisting of a basement and two floors, with each floor measuring 110 square meters. The house was occupied by seven people.
26/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished a home under construction located between Zababdeh town and the American School, east of Jenin, belonging to citizen Khaled Abu Al-Rub. The house measures approximately 150 square meters and was demolished under the pretext of construction without a permit.
27/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished three homes and an agricultural facility in Ni’lin town, west of Ramallah. The first was the home of citizen Waseem Mahmoud Nafe’, occupied by his family of five and measuring approximately 200 square meters. They also demolished the homes of citizens Saddam Nimer Hussein Nafe’ and Naseem Dar Nafe’, each consisting of two floors and measuring approximately 200 square meters. In addition, they demolished a livestock farming facility belonging to citizen Mounir Munawwar Kahoush, built on an area of one dunam.
27/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished the three-story home of citizen Jihad Musa in the Arraba Station area, southwest of Jenin city. The building has a total area of approximately 1,055 square meters and contains five commercial shops on the ground floor, while the upper floors are designated for family housing. The home houses eight people.
27/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished the home of Jerusalem resident Mahmoud Muhammad Atiyeh Qwaider in the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan, under the pretext of construction without a permit.
27/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished a home and a sheep pen in Lower Beit Hanina, north of occupied Jerusalem.
28/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished two homes in Deir Razih village, southwest of Dura, southwest of Hebron: the home of citizen Riad Yaser Amr and another home belonging to citizen Ayman Yaser Amr. Each home measures approximately 120 square meters.
28/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished a home belonging to citizen Mahmoud Bilal Hassan in Shuqba village, west of Ramallah.
Demolish Your Own Property
In some cases, particularly in Jerusalem, citizens are forced to demolish their homes themselves in order to avoid paying heavy financial fines to the occupation authorities if their machinery carries out the demolition. This leaves severe psychological effects on those affected.
On the thirteenth of the previous month, the occupation authorities forced Jerusalem resident Ali Khalil Abu Tir to demolish his home himself in Umm Tuba, southeast of occupied Jerusalem. The home housed seven people.
14/7/2026: The occupation authorities forced citizen Yasir Al-Shani from Jalazone refugee camp, north of Ramallah, to demolish his shop himself.
15/7/2026: The occupation authorities forced citizen Muhammad Al-Abbasi to carry out the self-demolition of part of his home in the Al-Ain neighborhood of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, under the pretext of construction without a permit. The demolished section measured approximately 25 square meters and housed three of his children.
21/7/2026: The occupation authorities forced citizen Mario Abu Saad to demolish an additional structure attached to his home in Beit Jala, west of Bethlehem. The structure is located adjacent to the Annexation and Expansion Wall in the Bir Awwna area, northeast of the city, and consists of a side extension to the old house in addition to a second floor.
27/7/2026: The occupation authorities forced the Al-Rimawi family to demolish their three homes themselves in Jabal Al-Mukabber, Jerusalem, under the pretext of lacking a permit. The homes house 10 people, and each home measures between 50 and 70 square meters.
27/7/2026: The occupation authorities forced brothers Omar and Mahmoud Al-Tawil to demolish their two apartments themselves in the Al-Shayyah neighborhood of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The apartments house nine people and have a combined area of 170 square meters.
Demolition of Industrial and Commercial Structures and Water Wells
14/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers filled in three artesian water wells belonging to farmers Saleh Naji Bani Odeh, Ahmad Ubeisi, and Nazir Bisharat, located in the Ras Al-Ahmar area north of Atuf, east of Tubas, within lands classified as Area B.
15/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished a steel fabrication factory and agricultural rooms in the Al-Maikhad area west of Beit Ula, northwest of Hebron. The factory belongs to citizens Ishaq Muhammad Al-Atrash and Rajai Al-Amla and has an area exceeding 800 square meters. The bulldozers also demolished agricultural rooms estimated at approximately 20 square meters belonging to Muhammad Khaled Sider, Osama Farash, and Ahmad Yousuf Al-Amla. They also bulldozed stone terraces and land planted with olive trees and other vegetation over an area of 1,500 square meters surrounding the facility.
22/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished a home, a car wash, and two livestock farms in Rafat town, northwest of occupied Jerusalem.
27/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished three buildings containing 18 commercial shops and two apartments at the Anza junction, south of Jenin, belonging to citizens Mus’ab Abu Al-Wafa, Hisham Hantouli, and Muhammad Mufeed Musa.
29/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished three artesian water wells in the Atuf and Ras Al-Ahmar areas, southeast of Tubas, after having filled them in approximately two weeks earlier. The wells had supplied water to approximately 7,500 dunams of land in the Al-Buqei’a Plain.
Demolition of Agricultural and Livestock Structures
1/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished two sheds in the Khallet Al-Haramiya area west of Kafr Al-Dik, west of Salfit, with a combined area of approximately 600 square meters.
2/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished an animal-raising shed belonging to citizen Ibrahim Abdul Razzaq Dawabsheh in Duma village, south of Nablus.
2/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished residential structures and livestock pens belonging to citizen Adel Alyan Daraghmeh in Ein Al-Hilweh in the Northern Jordan Valley, despite the existence of an order from the Israeli Supreme Court prohibiting the demolition.
6/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished an agricultural room and a water well in the Al-Khalayel area on the lands of Abu Falah village, northeast of Ramallah, belonging to citizen Abdul Rahim Abu Rahmeh.
14/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished residential and agricultural structures in Amatin village, east of Qalqilya, built over an area estimated at approximately 20 dunams. The structures included sheep pens and agricultural warehouses for storing fodder and equipment, all constructed from steel frames and corrugated metal sheets. They belonged to the Jahalin, Hammadin, and Sarayi’ah families. Initial losses were estimated at hundreds of thousands of shekels, affecting 22 families.
15/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished agricultural structures, greenhouses, a car wash, and a vehicle dismantling yard near the entrance to Arraba town, south of Jenin, under the pretext of construction without a permit.
28/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished residential structures and livestock pens in Ein Al-Hilweh in the Northern Jordan Valley belonging to citizen Adel Alyan Daraghmeh.
28/7/2026: Occupation bulldozers demolished an agricultural room belonging to citizen Musa Abu Rumays in Al-Malha village, east of Bethlehem, along with a number of walls and fences, and seized a mobile home (“caravan”).
The Union for Justice Foundation emphasizes that all demolition operations carried out by the occupation authorities in Palestinian areas, whether in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, regardless of the pretext or justification, constitute grave violations and contradict the provisions of the United Nations and the principles of international human rights law, including the right to adequate housing.
The Union for Justice considers that demolition operations and the displacement accompanying them amount to prohibited forcible transfer, which may constitute a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The Foundation stresses that forced displacement resulting from demolition operations, or from the coercive environment created by restrictions on livelihoods, amounts to prohibited forcible transfer and may constitute a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
It added: “Demolition operations carried out under the pretext of construction without a permit, amid a discriminatory planning system that imposes near-absolute restrictions on Palestinian construction, violate laws and conventions, while the occupation authorities grant extensive facilities to settlements that are illegal under international law.”
It is worth noting that the occupation forces carried out a total of 341 demolition operations during the first half of 2026, resulting in the demolition of 740 structures and affecting 923 citizens, including 546 children and 431 women. During the same period, the occupation authorities also issued demolition notices for 254 structures, under the pretext of lacking building permits.
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