Israeli occupation forces on Wednesday carried out the demolition of a Palestinian home in the town of Beita, northwest of Nablus, in the latest act of collective punishment targeting Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank.

Local security sources reported that Israeli forces, accompanied by a military bulldozer, stormed the town in the early hours and began demolishing the house belonging to the family of Malik Ismail Salem, a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli fire on July 10, 2025, south of Bethlehem. The demolition was carried out despite widespread international condemnation of punitive home demolitions, which are considered a violation of international humanitarian law.

According to the sources, Israeli forces imposed a tight military closure on Beita, sealing off all entrances to the town and shutting down the main road linking Jenin and Nablus. The incursion severely disrupted daily life, trapping residents inside their neighborhoods and preventing movement to and from the area.

As a result of the military operation, schools in Beita were forced to suspend classes for the day, further impacting students already facing repeated disruptions due to Israeli raids and closures. Local authorities stated that the missed classes will be made up next Tuesday.

Palestinian rights groups have long denounced Israel’s policy of demolishing the homes of slain or imprisoned Palestinians as a form of collective punishment aimed at intimidation and deterrence, rather than justice. Under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, collective punishment against a protected population living under occupation is strictly prohibited.

Residents of Beita have been at the forefront of popular resistance against Israeli settlement expansion in the area, particularly against the illegal Evyatar outpost built on nearby Palestinian land. The town has repeatedly been subjected to raids, closures, and violent repression by Israeli forces.

The demolition comes amid an ongoing escalation of Israeli military operations across the occupied West Bank, where home demolitions, arrests, and settler violence have intensified alongside the continuing war on Gaza. Palestinian officials warn that such actions further inflame tensions and entrench Israel’s system of oppression against the Palestinian people. (ILKHA)