Five Demolitions a Day: Israel Demolishes Record Number of Palestinian Homes in West Bank
Occupied West Bank (QNN)- Israel has demolished more Palestinian homes and structures in the occupied West Bank this year than in all of 2024, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said Wednesday.
By September 30, Israeli authorities had demolished 1,288 structures over building permits. That equals nearly five demolitions a day, including 138 projects funded by international aid. The demolitions displaced more than 1,400 Palestinians and harmed nearly 38,000 people through the loss of farms, water systems, and livelihoods.
The figure marks a 39 percent increase compared with the same period last year. In 2024, Israeli authorities demolished 1,281 structures over building permits.
“Families are being stripped of homes, water and livelihoods in a calculated effort to drive them from their land and make way for settlements,” said Angelita Caredda, NRC’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “This is not accidental destruction. It is a deliberate policy of dispossession.”
The demolitions come from a planning system that blocks Palestinians from building in Area C, which covers more than 60 percent of the West Bank. Since October 2023, Palestinians have submitted 282 applications for building permits. Not a single one has been approved.
Israel also carried out 37 punitive demolitions this year, matching a record set in 2023. These demolitions target homes of Palestinians accused of operations against Israelis and punish entire families. Human rights groups say the practice amounts to collective punishment, banned under international law.
At the same time, Israeli military operations in Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarm refugee camps have caused destruction beyond official demolition figures. UN assessments show at least 245 buildings destroyed, 157 severely damaged, and 750 moderately damaged. Nearly 32,000 refugees have fled their homes, though the real number is likely much higher.
The surge in demolitions comes a year after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful. The UN General Assembly later endorsed the opinion and gave Israel 12 months to withdraw. That deadline has expired, but Israel has tightened its control instead.
“Instead of ending its occupation, Israel is entrenching it and accelerating its annexation agenda,” Caredda said. “Over 150 states have recognized Palestine, yet the land that state needs to survive is disappearing. Governments must urgently act to protect Palestinians from the relentless erosion of their rights.”
