Israel Demolishes Homes of Some 250 Arab Citizens, With No Alternative Housing
The Arab Bedouin clan offered to give up its claim to 600 dunams near Rahat in exchange for housing. ‘This is the hardest day of my life,’ one resident said as families prepared to lose their homes.
Israeli forces began demolishing homes near the southern Arab-Israeli city of Rahat on Monday, despite residents saying they were not provided alternative housing.
The homes being demolished belong to some 250 members of the Bedouin Abu Wadi clan. The demolitions went ahead despite ongoing negotiations between the residents and the state authority responsible for Bedouins in the Negev desert, where Rahat is located, over alternative housing.
The Be’er Sheva District Court rejected the clan members’ request to delay the demolitions. On Sunday, residents began removing their belongings and demolishing their own homes to avoid paying for the demolitions.
Since the current government took office in 2022, Israel has demolished unrecognized Bedouin villages at an unprecedented rate. Hundreds of residents of demolished villages have in recent years been living in tents beside the ruins of their former homes. Many have yet to reach agreements with the Authority for the Development and Settlement of the Bedouin in the Negev, which is responsible for arranging alternative housing.
The clan’s approximately 250 members, from about 50 households, have lived in the area for decades. They previously filed a claim of ownership over about 600 dunams (150 acres) of land in the area, which is still being examined by the Justice Ministry.
Last year, the Be’er Sheva Magistrate’s Court approved the state’s request to issue demolition orders for their homes, ruling that the orders would take effect in October 2026. In September, the clan members asked the court to delay the demolitions, arguing that no viable housing solution had been found for them.In recent years, Israel has demolished homes in several unrecognized Bedouin villages whose residents have yet to secure alternative housing
- Wadi al-Khalil – May 2024
- Umm Mitnan – June 2024
- Al-Ghul – July 2024
- Umm al-Hiran – November 2024
- Al-Sir – May 2025 and September 2025, in two separate demolitions
- Tel Arad – June 2026, when the home of a single family was demolished
According to the residents, some of the plots the state offered to them in Rahat have been taken over by another clan, who warned them not to enter the compound. The residents say moving there could lead to bloodshed. They also say the infrastructure is incomplete, that the Rahat municipality opposes their living there, and that there are not enough plots for everyone eligible.
The Authority for the Development and Settlement of the Bedouin in the Negev, however, maintains that the plots are developed and available for allocation, and that the number of eligible residents is lower than the clan claims.
The clan members offered to move to a neighborhood near their current homes and even to waive their ownership claim to the land in exchange for an arrangement to secure housing there. The authority rejected the proposal, saying the neighborhood is designated for other residents and its development has not yet been approved.
‘The hardest day of my life’
Ahmed Abu Wadi, who was born and raised in the village of Dahaya, spoke on Sunday night, shortly before the demolitions began, as residents moved their belongings into storage at friends’ homes in Rahat.
“To think that you are demolishing your own home with your own hands, it’s catastrophic, indescribable. This is the hardest day of my life,” he said.
According to Abu Wadi, the village mosque, built in 2000, is also slated for demolition. He said the state had prevented residents from accessing water and developing agriculture, only to later claim that the land did not belong to them.
“I have no roof over my head. I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow, there are no plans, nothing,” he said. He added that he had tried to find an apartment to rent in Rahat but had been unsuccessful, while rents in Be’er Sheva reach 8,000 to 9,000 shekels a month.
“Here, people live below the poverty line; these are not rich people with a lot of money. Everyone will survive; they will look for some shack or something difficult to hide under,” he said.
Abu Wadi, the father of 7-year-old twin daughters, said his daughters had asked him why their home was being demolished and whether he could have reached an agreement with the authority.
“I didn’t answer them; I had nothing to tell them,” he said. “I can’t explain the situation, and tomorrow it will be very hard for me when they see the house being demolished.”
‘Scenes of war, of an earthquake’
Taleb al-Sana, chairman of the High Steering Committee of the Arabs of the Negev, criticized the demolitions.
“These are scenes of war, of an earthquake. A village that has suffered a disaster, only here it’s a disaster of racism. Instead of investing all the money in demolition, they should have developed infrastructure and roads and given hope to the children. What are they sowing here when a child sees bulldozers destroying his home? What is the logic in that?” he said.
“It seems that until the elections, this government has made home demolitions part of its election campaign. Instead of celebrating the recognition of communities, it inaugurates another village demolition and leaves more families homeless. Shame on them,” he added.
Al-Sana said the demolitions would strengthen the community’s determination to fight for equality and justice.
“This will only strengthen our belief in the struggle for full equality and justice. We will not despair or lose hope in shared life and the development of the Negev. Even when we see these scenes, there is hope,” he said.
Hanan (a pseudonym), a 55-year-old resident who was born and raised in the village, watched the demolitions from beneath a tree alongside other women and children.
“Yesterday at 1 P.M., I finally understood that they were demolishing our home,” she said. “The feelings are difficult; I can’t stand on my feet. I feel utterly destitute. My medications were also left in the house; we didn’t manage to clear everything out.”
She said she had tried to find an apartment to rent in Rahat but could not find one that suited her needs, and that rents were too expensive.
“I am a sick woman who receives income support. How can one feel when your home is being demolished? I don’t know where we will spend the night. We will probably sleep under a tree,” she said.
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Hanan added that large numbers of police officers and bulldozers were at the site to carry out and secure the demolitions.
Attorney Ben Zaken, who represents the clan members, said the state’s proposed housing arrangement had several problems.
“They offered the residents 47 entitlements to plots when there are about 130 eligible individuals. This means about 80 eligible individuals will remain without a solution,” he said.
He added that Rahat municipality had told several families that the plots were intended to accommodate their own natural population growth and that they would not agree to outsiders moving in.
“The Abu Wadi family is not welcome there, and this could lead to bloodshed,” he said. “The Rahat municipality also does not issue building permits in the compound because the infrastructure has not yet been developed.”
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
