Israeli forces tore down a two‑story building under construction on Thursday in Wadi al‑Hummus, southeast of the occupied capital, Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank.
Witnesses said troops moved in with heavy machinery, surrounded the site, and began demolishing the structure.
The building was still unfinished, but for the family behind it, it represented years of saving and planning — now reduced to rubble in minutes.
Wadi al‑Hummus has long been a target. Israeli authorities claim “security” and “buffer zones” as justification, but residents see a clear pattern: land confiscated, permits denied, homes destroyed.
In November alone, dozens of demolitions and stop‑work orders were handed out, even for houses built with Palestinian permits inside Area A.
In related news, Israeli occupation authorities issued demolition orders on Thursday targeting four homes east of occupied Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Governorate reported that occupation forces invaded the Bedouin communities of Bir al‑Maskoub 1, Bir al‑Maskoub 2, and Wadi Isneisel, where they delivered demolition notices for four residential structures. One of the homes belongs to Palestinian citizen Eid Mohammad Eid Ebsees.
The forces also photographed the homes and livestock shelters in these communities, underscoring the ongoing campaign of restrictions and demolitions that threaten the stability of Palestinian families in the area.
Local officials warn that the policy is part of a larger push to expand the illegal Israeli colonies while strangling Palestinian communities.
The Jerusalem Governorate called the demolitions “war crimes,” stressing that they are designed to uproot families and erase Palestinian presence in Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
For residents, the impact is immediate and personal. Families are left homeless, children watch their homes collapse, and entire communities live under the constant threat that tomorrow it could be their turn.
While Israel continues to build and expand its illegal colonies, Palestinian communities and towns in occupied Jerusalem and various areas in the occupied West Bank continue to be denied the right to build homes and property under various allegations meant to prevent the expansion of Palestinian towns and neighborhoods.
Last Month, Israeli occupation authorities have issued two new tenders for the construction of a colonial neighborhood in the illegal colony of Adam (Givat Binyamin), built on stolen Palestinian land northeast of occupied Jerusalem.
All of Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention in addition to various United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under International Law.
Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits collective punishment and acts of terror against civilian populations.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory”.
Articles 53 and 147, prohibit the destruction of civilian property and classify pillage as a war crime.
