DaysofPal – Israeli occupation forces demolished several Palestinian homes in the Bethlehem governorate of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, continuing a widening campaign of home demolitions carried out under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Four houses in the Sabiha neighborhood were destroyed during an Israeli raid on the town of Nahalin, west of Bethlehem, with the help of bulldozers, according to local sources. The destroyed properties belonged to Mahmoud Naeem, whose two-story house was razed, as well as Mahmoud Husni Shakarna, Malek Rabhi Najajreh, and Jamil Mohammad Najajreh.
During the operation, Israeli occupation forces fired stun grenades and tear gas at residents attempting to approach the targeted homes, causing several cases of suffocation. One Palestinian was also arrested after reportedly being severely beaten by Israeli soldiers.
The demolitions came shortly after an Israeli court rejected an appeal seeking to halt military orders to demolish 14 homes in Nahalin.
In the nearby town of Za’atara, east of Bethlehem, Israeli bulldozers demolished the home of Raed Hassan Abu Riya. The residence consisted of a basement and two floors, each measuring approximately 110 square meters, and housed a family of seven. Local sources said Abu Riya had been ordered to evacuate the house just one day earlier before demolition crews arrived the following morning.
Two sheep owned by local resident Saud Mohammad Hassan Rashaydeh were reportedly killed when an Israeli settler crashed into a flock of sheep in the village of Kisan, east of Bethlehem, while they were grazing.
Bakr Rashaydeh, head of the Kisan Village Council, said settler attacks against residents have intensified in recent weeks, including harassment of shepherds, preventing access to grazing land, running over civilians, and assaults on homes.
Home demolitions across the occupied West Bank have sharply increased, targeting residential, commercial, and agricultural structures, as well as public infrastructure.
Official Palestinian statistics show that in the first half of 2026, Israeli forces conducted 341 demolition operations, destroying 740 buildings and impacting 923 Palestinians, including 431 women and 546 children. During the same period, Israeli forces also issued demolition notices for 254 additional structures, citing the lack of Israeli-issued building permits.
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