OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Israeli occupation forces (IOF) escalated their policy of collective punishment on Friday, issuing demolition orders in al-Khalil and forcing a Palestinian resident in occupied Jerusalem to self-demolish his home.
In al-Khalil, IOF troops raided the Wadi al-Hariya area overnight and delivered a demolition and confiscation notice to the family of Imran al-Atrash, an 18-year-old Palestinian killed by Israeli forces in November 2025. The family was given 72 hours to file an objection before the demolition was carried out.
Al-Atrash was martyred alongside Walid Sabarna, 18, from Beit Ummar during a stabbing attack south of Bethlehem. Israeli authorities later issued a similar demolition notice, on December 23, to Sabarna’s family home in the town of Beit Ummar, also granting a 72-hour objection period.
Rights groups say the demolition of family homes under the pretext of “deterrence” constitutes collective punishment, which is prohibited under international humanitarian law.
Separately in occupied Jerusalem, Israeli authorities forced Palestinian resident Saqr Qanbar to demolish his own home in the town of Jabal al-Mukabber, south of the city. Qanbar carried out the demolition to avoid heavy fines imposed by the Israeli municipality if the house was demolished by its teams.
The move followed the demolition of two other Palestinian homes earlier this week in the same area, allegedly for lacking building permits, permits that Palestinians say are systematically denied.
According to the Jerusalem Governorate, Israeli occupation authorities carried out 27 demolition and land-clearing operations in the holy city in November alone, including five cases of forced self-demolition, 21 demolitions by municipal and security forces, and one land razing operation.
Palestinian officials warn that home demolitions are being used as a tool to reshape the city’s demographic reality, in violation of international law, which forbids the destruction of civilian property under occupation.
