Israel’s destruction of homes leaves families with nowhere to return

Displacement in Hebron

A Hebron resident told Al Jazeera that Israeli army vehicles arrived at al-Jalda Square around 12:30 at night and ordered residents to leave. The resident said families were told to go “until further notice” and left with only the clothes they were wearing.

Black X marks have been placed on homes from which families were expelled, while soldiers have occupied other properties as military outposts. UNRWA reported nearly 5,000 Palestinians displaced in just over a week and described the measures as collective punishment in violation of international law.

In Masafer Yatta, a group of 13 communities in the South Hebron Hills, Israeli authorities have demolished about 400 structures over 15 years, displacing 969 Palestinians. Nearly half of those demolitions took place since January 2025.

West Bank destruction documented

UNRWA’s West Bank director, Roland Friedrich, said Hebron’s scenes carried “alarming echoes” of displacement from the Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps during military operations in early 2025. OCHA recorded 1,399 buildings demolished in the Jenin and Tulkarem governorates between 2009 and October 2026, with 4,139 people displaced. The agency’s records mainly cover demolitions linked to lack of permits or punishment, rather than buildings destroyed during military raids.

Forensic Architecture said it verified more than 200 incidents of building and street destruction across four refugee camps. Its investigation identified armoured bulldozers, controlled demolitions and air attacks, and found roads widened through homes and gardens for military vehicles. The group said Israel was using tactics in the occupied West Bank similar to those used in Gaza.

Raids and Gaza’s losses

Israeli raids continue in the West Bank. Last week, Israeli forces detained four Palestinians in Tulkarem; in Burin, south of Nablus, troops turned several homes into military barracks, as they have in Hebron.

In Gaza, UNOSAT estimated that 201,290 structures had been damaged or destroyed by June 16, 2026—about 82 percent of all structures in the Strip. Many families are sheltering in tents, makeshift structures or damaged buildings, often without reliable water or sanitation. Satellite imagery updated in September on Google Maps shows destruction across Gaza’s neighbourhoods, where families’ former homes have been reduced to rubble.

Southern Lebanon’s damaged buildings

A UNDP assessment in July 2026, based on satellite imagery from June 16, identified 31,259 damaged or destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon, mainly south of the Litani River. Across Hebron, Jenin, Gaza and southern Lebanon, the destruction has displaced people and left many without homes to return to.