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BEERSHEBA (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Thursday demolished the Bedouin village of al-Araqib for the 70th time, witnesses told Ma'an.

Hundreds of Israeli police officers and special forces deployed in the area at dawn and closed all roads leading to the Negev village.

A large number of residents spent the night inside the village cemetery to try and prevent Israeli bulldozers from demolishing nearby structures.

Israeli police spokeswoman Luba al-Samri told Ma'an that the cemetery would not be destroyed, but several other "illegal" structures were demolished under the supervision of Negev deputy police chief Elan Peretz.

Bedouin MK Taleb Abu Arar, former MK Talab al-Sani and dozens of activists were present in al-Araqib when the demolitions took place.

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by Chris Carlson - 1 of International Middle East Media Center Editorial Group

This morning, Israeli forces demolished a number of structures in the Naqab village of al-Araqeeb, to the north of Beersheba.

Israeli media has reported that members of the Israeli Committee of Land, accompanied by Israeli police, demolished approximately 15 barracks considered to be illegal by the state of Israel.

Head of Al-Araqeep Committee Sayyah Abu Medgheim told WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency that the group arrived in the village, evacuated residents from their homes and demolished more than 15 houses in the vicinity of the village’s Islamic cemetery, leaving their residents without a shelter.

In addition, Medgheim stated that the Israeli authorities have demolished the village 69 times prior to this, but that this is this the first time they demolished barracks near the cemetery.

The village will rebuild them as usual.

According to the Palestinian News Network (PNN), Al-Araqeeb village is one of the 45 Arabic villages which is located in the northern part of Beersheba, well within the area officially recognized as the Israeli Negev, yet remains to be recognized by Israeli authorities.