Israeli occupation forces demolished the home of Farouq Ramadan in the village of Tell, southwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, after forcing dozens of Palestinian families from nearby homes, according to local sources.

Israeli troops and military vehicles reportedly surrounded Ramadan’s three-story house before engineering units entered the building and planted explosives inside. The forces subsequently detonated the structure, reducing the family home to rubble.

Residents of neighboring houses were ordered to evacuate the area and were reportedly told not to return until the demolition operation had been completed and Israeli forces had withdrawn.

During the operation, Israeli soldiers also reportedly converted several nearby Palestinian homes into temporary military positions and assaulted a number of local residents.

The demolition was carried out under an Israeli military order authorizing the destruction of the home belonging to the family of Ramadan, whom Israeli authorities accused of carrying out a shooting attack last July that killed two Israeli soldiers, including an officer, and wounded two others.

According to Palestinian accounts, the incident followed an Israeli army-backed settler attack on the village of Tell, adding to tensions and violence in the area.

The destruction of Palestinian homes belonging to the families of alleged attackers has long been condemned by Palestinian authorities and human rights organizations, which argue that such demolitions constitute a form of collective punishment because the property belongs to family members who are not necessarily accused of involvement in the alleged attack.

The latest demolition comes amid continued Israeli military raids, arrests, home demolitions and settler attacks across the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian communities have faced growing restrictions and displacement pressures. (ILKHA)