Earlier Tuesday, Israeli occupation forces demolished a home and a cave in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank, in a new escalation targeting Palestinian property in the area.
Activist Mohammad Awad reported that a large military force stormed the Wadi al‑Sheikh area and demolished an 80‑square‑meter house belonging to Ahmad Mohammad Hussein al‑Allami.
The structure, built to shelter his family, was reduced to rubble within minutes as heavy machinery carried out the demolition under armed protection.
Awad added that the forces also destroyed a nearby cave that had long served as a shelter for members of al‑Allami’s extended family. The cave, used seasonally for agricultural work and livestock care, was flattened despite containing no new construction or additions.
The demolition was carried out without prior warning, leaving the family unable to salvage belongings or livestock equipment.
Witnesses said soldiers surrounded the area, deployed snipers on nearby rooftops, and blocked all access roads leading to the site.
The military imposed a tight cordon around the entire neighborhood, preventing residents, journalists, and even relatives of the affected family from approaching.
Several residents attempting to reach the area were pushed back, and soldiers threatened to detain anyone who tried to document the demolition.
Local residents described the operation as part of a broader pattern of pressure aimed at restricting Palestinian presence in the northern Hebron district, where home demolitions, land seizures, and colonizer attacks have intensified in recent months.
They noted that the Wadi al‑Sheikh area has been repeatedly targeted due to its proximity to bypass roads used by illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers.
The demolition leaves the al‑Allami family without shelter in the middle of winter, adding to the growing number of Palestinian families displaced by Israeli military actions in the Hebron governorate.
