Where Do Palestinians Go After Their Homes Are Demolished in the West Bank?

For child Nidaa Salama, the remains of her demolished home in Shaqba, west of Ramallah, are all that remain of a place filled with her memories. Standing over the rubble, she pointed out where her bedroom, her parents’ room, kitchen and yard once stood.

Nidaa and her family now live in a small caravan on the site of their former home. She said she went from sleeping in a bed to sleeping on a mattress placed on the floor, while recalling how soldiers pointed their rifles at the family as bulldozers demolished the house.

Her father, Salama al-Masri, said the demolition took place without prior warning. The family had lived in the house for nine years before moving into the caravan, where the bedroom and living area are combined and cooking is done over a small stove.

He said that if the caravan is demolished, the family will move into a tent but remain on their land.

Nearby, the home of Wasim Nafea in Nilin, west of Ramallah, was also demolished. Nafea said he had spent about 1 million shekels, or roughly $333,000, building the 250-square-meter house.

He was given only 10 minutes to evacuate before soldiers used tear gas and sound grenades. The family managed to remove some belongings, but Nafea said they were damaged and left under olive trees.

He now faces the same question as many families whose homes are demolished: where can they go? For some, the options are a tent or a rented home.

Demolitions and displacement

Salah al-Khawaja, director of the central district at the Palestinian Authority’s Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, said home demolitions are being used to pressure Palestinian communities and reshape conditions across the West Bank.

He said the policy particularly affects Area C, which accounts for about 60% of the West Bank under the Oslo framework, where Israel exercises broad control.

Al-Khawaja said the West Bank and Jerusalem are witnessing widespread demolitions aimed at isolating Palestinians in separate areas and taking control of their land.

According to figures from the commission, 341 demolition operations were carried out across the West Bank and Jerusalem during the first half of this year, affecting 740 structures over alleged licensing violations.

In July alone, 80 demolition operations targeted 165 structures, including 80 occupied homes, eight unoccupied homes and 63 agricultural structures.