Settler attack on al-Makhrour

Israeli forces and settlers continue to target and assault Palestinians on their lands in the Al Makhrour area, located north of Bethlehem in the central West Bank. The Al Makhrour Valley is one of the few green spaces accessible to Palestinians in this area and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. Despite (or perhaps in defiance of) this declaration, Israel has continued to escalate attempts to install colonies in this area, dismantling Palestinian property, destroying livelihoods, and disrupting social relations, all in service of land and resource grabs.

Most folks who read our newsletters or follow the news in Palestine will recognize the story of the Kisiya (sometimes spelled Cassia or Qaisiya ) family, whose land has been targeted by Himanuta — a Jewish National Fund subsidiary — for years. The family has endured legal attacks, settler, and state violence, and several demolitions of their home and business, and they continue to fight for their land.

Despite the Israeli High Court recognizing their ownership documents, settlers continue to try to encroach on their property, fully supported by the military and often even the police. On Sunday of this week, two of the women from the family were arbitrarily detained following a settler attack. The person who facilitated the abduction from start to finish was a local settler directly connected to the colony on the hilltop above the Kisiya property, who claimed to be a police officer. These incidents illustrate that “settlers” are not a separate class of Israelis who act of their own violent accord; rather, they represent the state and are (almost without exception) offered its power and protection to enact eliminatory violence against Palestinians.

Luckily, both women were released that night due to insufficient evidence of the claims against them.

As demolitions, killings, and abductions continue to escalate across Palestine, it is important to remember that terms like genocide and apartheid do not fully describe the situation here — these terms describe tools or acts used in the service of settler-colonialism. As Israel enacts more violence against indigenous Palestinians, it does so to extract more land and resources and destroy, displace, or constrict Palestinian communities. We are fighting more than a single act, policy, or cruel politician. We are resisting an entire system built on theft and erasure.

Home demolition data

Since the beginning of the year, the Israeli military has carried out 453 military operations across East Jerusalem and the West Bank, demolishing 1,421 structures and displacing some 3,576 Palestinians. On average, the Israeli state carries out 1.47 military operations and destroys 4.6 structure demolitions every day. It has displaced approximately 11.57 Palestinians per day, disproportionately impacting minors, who constitute 40.8% (1,460) of the total displaced population.

An analysis of the last 90 days reveals an intensification of activities, with 122 military operations resulting in 463 structure demolitions and 1,527 displaced Palestinians during this period alone. The daily averages during this time—16.97 displaced persons and 5.14 structures—exceed the year-to-date figures, pointing to a dramatic period of escalated operational intensity. The demographic pattern remains consistent, with children representing 39.5% (603) of displaced persons, followed by relatively equal numbers of adult men (484) and women (469).

However, the most recent 30-day period demonstrates a marked deceleration of demolition operations across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. During this period, 30 military operations resulted in 59 structure demolitions and 87 displacements, representing significant decreases in daily averages across all metrics: 1.0 operations, 1.97 structures, and 2.9 displaced persons per day.

It's critical to point out that this decrease in military operations, carried out with the intent to raze Palestinian property, coincides with Israel's formal invasion of Lebanon on October 1, 2024. This data suggests that the Israeli state does not have the military resources to carry out genocide in Gaza, wage war on the people of Lebano, and execute bombings and raids across Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Yemen simultaneously, all while maintaining this facet of systemic violence of colonization across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

This is remarkable, given that the United States alone has invested $22.76 billion in military aid to maintain Israel as a colonial outpost. Total support for Israel’s regional war is much higher, as this figure omits the military investments that the United States has spent in Egypt, Saudia Arabia and its military outposts in Syria among other places. These numbers also do not include investments and support from other countries, notably Germany and the U.K.

Demolition summary

October 31, 2024 | West Bank, Area A, Nur Shams Refugee Camp

Israeli forces killed three Palestinians during a raid on the Nur Shams Refugee Camp in Tulkarm. At approximately 2:30 AM, the Israeli military entered the camp with military jeeps and bulldozers, sparking armed clashes with Palestinian residents. An Israeli airstrike later killed two Palestinians, and a third Palestinian man was killed by an Israeli sniper while inside his home. The raid resulted in the displacement of four families, affecting 23 individuals, including 8 children and 9 women. Significant damage was reported, including the destruction of 100 residential and livelihood structures, roads, and essential services infrastructure. During the assault, the Israeli military damaged the entrance to the UNRWA office, sanitation warehouses and a center for people with disabilities. This operation followed an undercover Israeli operation in Tulkarm Refugee Camp, collectively leading to the killing of four Palestinians.

October 30, 2024 | West Bank, Area C, Qalqiliya

Israeli forces, along with the Civil Administration, demolished six agricultural structures in Qalqiliya, citing the lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C. The demolished structures included two greenhouses, each covering 300 square meters, and an agricultural shed of 70 square meters partially used for poultry. Additionally, Israeli forces destroyed water tanks used for irrigation. Four structures near Qalqiliya’s eastern entrance and two in the "Seam Zone" behind the apartheid wall were dismantled. The demolitions affected three families, comprising 17 individuals, including seven children, significantly impacting their livelihoods.

October 29, 2024 | East Jerusalem, Jabal al Mukabbir

A Palestinian family was forced to self-demolish their 40 m² residential unit in Jabal al Mukabbir for lacking an Israeli-issued building permit. The demolition displaced an elderly couple living in a rooftop unit that included a bedroom and bathroom. Constructed in 2015, the structure faced repeated legal challenges, with final demolition orders issued in May 2024, leaving the family no choice but to comply by November 6.

October 28, 2024 | East Jerusalem, At Tur

Three Palestinian families in At Tur were forced to demolish extensions on their residential building. These structures, built in 1992 to accommodate family growth, included three balconies closed off with aluminum and glass windows. Despite paying fines and postponing the demolition for decades, the families was ultimately forced to dismantle the structures to avoid steep municipal fines and police threats. The demolition affected 13 individuals, including five children.

October 29, 2024 | East Jerusalem, Silwan

In the Ein al Louzeh area of Silwan, Israeli forces and the Jerusalem municipality demolished a 300 m² livelihood structure used for storage and parking, affecting a household of six, including three children. The structure, constructed in 2016 from cement blocks and metal sheets, had recently been partially self-demolished by the family following a demolition order and frequent threats from municipal authorities. Israeli forces completed the demolition without any legal recourse for the family.

October 28, 2024 | West Bank, Area A, Tulkarm

Israeli colonial forces raided Tulkarm's as-Salam neighborhood and advanced into the community with gunfire and deploying Energa anti-tank grenades, setting fire to a building. The invasion forcibly displaced four residential apartments and caused partial damage to five nearby houses. 23 people were left homeless after the attack.

October 20, 2024 | East Jerusalem, Jabal al Mukabbir

A Palestinian family was forced to demolish their 50 m² rooftop residential unit in Jabal al Mukabbir, leaving a small family homeless and without legal remedies to build on their own property.

October 19, 2024 | West Bank, Area C, Al Farisiya-Nab'a al Ghazal

The Israeli Civil Administration and occupation forces, accompanied by Israeli settlement council representatives, demolished and confiscated three structures in Al Farisiya-Nab'a al Ghazal. Two households, comprising ten people (including six children), were forcibly displaced. The forces dismantled animal shelters constructed with metal poles and plastic sheets, confiscating materials and a family-owned truck — leaving the community nearly destitute. The head of the household was handcuffed and forced to drive the confiscated items to a nearby Israeli military base.

October 18, 2024 | East Jerusalem, Al Walaja

In Al Walaja, a Palestinian man dismantled a donor-funded residential caravan after receiving verbal and written orders from the Israeli Jerusalem municipality and the Ministry of Interior. The caravan, initially provided by an NGO in response to a previous demolition, was dismantled to avoid the fines that would be imposed if the municipality carried out the demolition. The targeting of international aid projects across Palestine continues to be a priority of the broader settler movement.

October 17, 2024 | East Jerusalem, Sur Bahir

A Palestinian family self-demolished their 80 m² residential house in Sur Bahir due to lack of an Israeli-issued building permit — which, by design, Palestinians are denied. The demolition displaced six people, including three children. Constructed in 2000, the family has faced legal battles over the years, resulting in court fines of over 100,000 NIS. A final demolition order was issued, with daily threats from the municipality, leading to the family’s decision to self-demolish to avoid additional fines of over 120,000 NIS.