Al-Naqab: Demolition orders target 20 homes in Umm al-Namil near Rahat

Israeli demolition forces raided the village of Umm al-Namil (Arab al-Ziyadina), northeast of Rahat in the Negev, and served demolition orders targeting 20 homes, as part of the targeting of homes in unrecognized Arab villages.

Israeli demolition forces raided the village of Umm al-Namil (Arab al-Ziyadina), northeast of the city of Rahat in the Negev, and served demolition orders targeting 20 homes. This step falls within the context of ongoing demolition operations targeting homes and structures in unrecognized Arab villages in the Negev, where residents face repeated demolition orders amid planning complexities and the absence of solutions that allow them to organize construction and secure their right to housing. The new demolition orders in Umm al-Namil come after years of prosecutions and raids that the village has witnessed, including forcing homeowners to demolish their own homes, and operations targeting lands belonging to the area's residents. Arab48 has previously documented demolitions and prosecutions in Umm al-Namil, as in June 2018, Israeli authorities forced the owners of two inhabited homes to demolish them themselves, under the threat of imposing large financial fines if the demolition was carried out by Israeli bulldozers. The report at the time indicated that the two families forced to demolish their homes included children and elderly people, reflecting the social and humanitarian repercussions of these measures on the village's residents.