Israeli occupation forces demolished two Palestinian homes in the village of Shuqba, located west of Ramallah in the central part of the occupied West Bank, early Tuesday morning.
Eyewitnesses reported that several military vehicles, including bulldozers, invaded the town before surrounding the targeted properties.
Israeli bulldozers then leveled a two-story house under construction belonging to Ahmad Shallash, along with a single-story residence owned by Mousa Sweilem. Both structures were demolished without prior notice.
During the invasion, Israeli soldiers fired tear gas at residents and journalists gathered near the demolition site, causing several cases of suffocation and forcing media crews to withdraw.
The demolitions come amid a broader escalation in punitive measures and land seizures across Area C of the West Bank, where Israel maintains full control over planning and construction.
Since the beginning of 2025, Israeli authorities have intensified the demolition of Palestinian-owned structures across the occupied West Bank, targeting homes, agricultural facilities, and essential infrastructure. These demolitions have displaced hundreds of families and disrupted access to basic services in vulnerable communities.
From January through August 2025, at least 168 structures were demolished, including residential buildings, shops, tents, water tanks, and agricultural rooms.
In May alone, 38 demolitions were documented, with the Jerusalem governorate accounting for 14 of them. Hebron saw five demolitions that month, while Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus, and Qalqilia each recorded between three and five. In Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, Israeli forces destroyed over 85 percent of the structures in the Khallet Ad-Dabe’ community, leaving nearly all residents homeless.
In Tulkarem, particularly in and around Nur Shams refugee camp, Israeli forces have launched a sweeping campaign targeting infrastructure. At least 106 structures have been slated for demolition, and 15 housing units have already been destroyed. These actions have severely impacted access to shelter, water, and electricity, and have been widely condemned by humanitarian organizations.
Most of the demolitions occur in Area C, where Israel maintains full military and administrative control. Under Israeli planning regulations, Palestinians face near-total denial of building permits, rendering most construction “unauthorized” and vulnerable to demolition. Rights groups and UN agencies have repeatedly criticized these policies as discriminatory and a form of forced displacement.
Between October 7, 2023, and October 5, 2025, Israeli authorities carried out a total of 1,014 demolition operations across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These actions targeted 3,679 Palestinian-owned structures, among them 1,288 inhabited homes, 244 uninhabited residences, and 962 agricultural and other facilities.
