THE NEGEV, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Israeli authorities began demolishing homes and a mosque on Monday in the Abu Wadi neighborhood of al-Dahiyya, an unrecognized village in the Negev, threatening to displace around 80 Palestinian families.
The demolitions were carried out under heavy Israeli police protection and targeted homes belonging to the Abu Wadi family, after the Israeli District Court in Beersheba rejected a request by residents to freeze the demolition orders.
According to available information, the orders target around 60 homes inhabited by nearly 400 family members, including women, children and elderly people, leaving dozens of families at risk of losing their shelter.
Members of the Abu Wadi family say they are determined to remain on their land in al-Dahiyya, where they have lived for decades and inherited land from generation to generation.
The family owns around 630 dunums in the area, including 550 dunums that were used for agriculture until recent years, before Israeli restrictions intensified, according to the Palestinian Refugees Portal.
Israeli authorities have proposed moving residents to alternative housing in Rahat’s 10th neighborhood, but residents reject the plan and demand recognition of their village and planning arrangements that would allow them to stay on their land.
The Higher Steering Committee for Arabs in the Negev had earlier called for public and official action to support the villagers, warning of the serious impact of demolitions on hundreds of residents and urging recognition of the village.
Rahat Municipality also criticized Israeli authorities for failing to reach a planning agreement that could have regulated the village’s status.
The demolitions come as part of a wider crisis facing Bedouin Arab communities in the Negev, especially villages not recognized by Israeli authorities. Residents often face demolition orders over alleged unlicensed construction, while planning frameworks needed to regulate building and secure housing rights remain unavailable.
The al-Dahiyya demolitions have renewed Palestinian concerns over displacement and land seizure, as residents insist on staying in their village and demand recognition and protection of their housing and land rights.
