Description

Photo:
Demolitions in Hebron. Published by IMEMC News

Scene in Khalet a-Duqayqa. Photo: Eid Hathaleen. Posted by Breaking the Silence

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by IMEMC News
May 6, 2025

Israeli occupation forces have demolished an entire Palestinian village, Khirbet Khallet ad-Dabe’ in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, in addition to demolishing many homes and structures in villages near Ramallah, Qalqilia, and the northern Jordan Valley.

The demolitions, carried out under the pretext of “unauthorized construction,” mark one of the largest waves of destruction in recent months.

Mass Displacement in Masafer Yatta

In Khirbet Khallet ad-Dabe’, Israeli soldiers razed 25 structures, including homes, water wells, caves, agricultural rooms, livestock pens, and solar panels, most of which belonged to the Dababsa family.

Residents were forcibly evicted, prevented from retrieving their belongings, and left without shelter.

The village, home to 120 Palestinians, has been under constant threat of displacement since 2022, as Israel seeks to seize the land for colonial expansion by designating it a military firing zone.

Local activist Osama Makhamra stated that Israeli forces forced residents to evacuate at gunpoint, leaving them stranded in harsh conditions. He noted that only a school and two homes remain standing after the demolitions.

Expanding Colonial Control

The destruction in Masafer Yatta is part of a broader Israeli policy aimed at erasing Palestinian communities and replacing them with Jewish colonizers.

According to Nidal Younis, head of the local village council, Israel’s actions reflect a long-standing strategy of forced displacement, involving land confiscation, demolitions, and expansion of illegal Israeli colonies, built in direct violation of international law.

“Nearly 90% of the homes in Khirbet Khallet ad-Dabe’ have been destroyed, leaving families and livestock without shelter. This is a deliberate effort to wipe out Palestinian presence in the area,” Younis said.

Younis warned that all villages in Masafer Yatta are under threat, with Israel systematically declaring Palestinian lands as closed military zones to facilitate colonial expansion.

Over the past two years, Israel has established eight new colonies in the area, alongside colonizer-run livestock farms that encroach on Palestinian land.

Widespread Demolitions Across the West Bank

Israeli forces also demolished homes and structures in multiple locations, including:

– Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah – A 150-square-meter home housing five people was destroyed, with another home marked for demolition.

– Al-Funduq, east of Qalqilya – A 200-square-meter home belonging to Firas Bleyya was razed.

– Northern Jordan Valley – Several residential structures and livestock pens were demolished in Khirbet al-Deir.

– Jisr al-Zarqa, near Haifa – A Palestinian home, occupied for three decades, was destroyed under the pretext of unauthorized construction.

Colonizers’ Attacks and Illegal Land Seizures

Israeli paramilitary colonizers have intensified attacks on Palestinian communities, including:

– Al-Mughayyir – Colonizers cut down 200 olive trees belonging to Mohammad and Samir Hamayel.

– Al-Mu’arrajat, northwest of Jericho – Colonizers attempted to burn a Palestinian home and set fire to a tractor, while Israeli forces stood by without intervention.

Escalating Demolition and Colonial Expansion

A recent report by the Wall & Colonization Resistance Commission documented 1,693 Israeli violations in April 2025, including:

– 152 demolitions, affecting 96 homes and 34 agricultural structures.

– 46 demolition orders issued.

– 54 dunams of Palestinian land seized.

– 1,168 olive trees uprooted.

– Plans for 10 new colonial outposts, mostly agricultural and pastoral.

– 27 expansion projects for illegal colonies are under review to seize more Palestinian land.
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Breaking the Silence
@BtSIsrael
Right now, it seems the Israeli army is wiping out the village of Khalet a-Duqayqa— evicting families, destroying homes, water wells, terraces, and solar panels. In the photo, you can see a sentence written on the wall of a house now being demolished:
"Let me live my life."
A simple, human plea — and under decades of brutal occupation, even that is too much to ask.
Photos: Eid Hathaleen
May 5, 2025

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