Israel is transforming Palestinian homes into military outposts

Israeli soldiers in Hebron in the occupied West Bank (Mamoun Wazwaz/Anadolu)

There are no official statistics on the number of homes seized in the occupied West Bank, but it has clearly been escalating since October 2023.

By Fayha Shalash, Reposted from The New Arab, December 31, 2025

Ali Kilani never imagined he would be evicted from his home in the middle of the night, leaving him and his family homeless within moments.

Citing security reasons, the Israeli army forcibly kicked out Ali and the owners of eight other homes in the town of Ya’bad, south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, without prior warning. Promptly, the Israelis converted the homes into military outposts and have been occupying them for nearly two months.

The Israeli army’s policy of seizing Palestinian homes occurs almost daily, coinciding with the militarized raids into the occupied West Bank. Most seizures are temporary, lasting hours or days, but sometimes they extend for months or even become permanent.

There are no official statistics on the number of homes seized in the occupied West Bank, but it has clearly been escalating since October 2023.

Minutes to leave home

At 11:30 PM on 7 November, Israeli soldiers stormed nine homes across the town of Ya’bad, giving the residents ten minutes to evacuate. More than 50 residents, mainly women and children, were left homeless in the middle of the night. They sought refuge with relatives, hoping to return within a few hours, but those hours have stretched on, and on, and on.

Among them was Ali, who had moved into his two-story house just a few months earlier with his family of six. They had converted the ground floor into a shop for some income, while the second floor contained two flats.

“[The Israeli army] told us they were going to take over the house without giving any reason. They gave us only a few minutes to leave, and we couldn’t take anything with us. We are still deprived of our homes, and we don’t know how long this will last,” Ali told The New Arab.

Israeli soldiers immediately raised Israeli flags over the houses, signalling their seizure. They informed the Palestinian liaison office that the justification for the seizure was stone-throwing at Israeli vehicles near the main road, even though the houses are located a considerable distance from the road.

But the houses are situated opposite an illegal Israeli settlement of Mevo Dotan, built on land belonging to the town of Ya’bad. Recently, neighbours have noticed settlers and their families frequently visiting these houses, staying for hours, grazing their sheep nearby, and having their children play in the courtyards. This raises serious questions about the actual, hidden motive behind the simultaneous seizure of nine houses opposite the settlement.

“While we are staying in the homes of relatives in deplorable and cramped conditions, the settlers bring their children to play in our houses. We don’t know if this is a prelude to their complete confiscation,” he added.

The families tried to return to their homes several times, but Israeli soldiers fired shots into the air to drive them back. The residents then requested to return only to retrieve personal belongings, and were allowed to take just a few clothes for a few minutes.

Soldiers were seen throwing furniture out of Ali’s windows and deliberately smashing it, while other Israeli settlers looted all the contents of his shop, including appliances and equipment.

“The sight broke our hearts. The furniture we bought just months ago is now being thrown away and destroyed, so we can’t use it. I’ve lost all hope of returning home, and even if we do, it will take a lot of time, effort, and money to renovate it,” he concluded sadly.

Deliberate policy

In the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, the Israeli army conducted a two-day raid, storming dozens of homes and expelling some residents. Four of these homes were then converted into military barracks and field interrogation centers.

Ahmad Zakarna, the mayor of Qabatiya, told TNA that soldiers were conducting widespread arrest campaigns in the town, detaining dozens of men, bringing them to these homes, and conducting field interrogations before withdrawing, leaving behind significant destruction.

“The homes that were seized had their furniture smashed, their contents ransacked, and money and gold jewelry stolen. When the residents returned, they were shocked by the extent of the damage,” he added.

According to Zakarna, the Israeli army employs the same tactics in every incursion into the town, seizing several homes, expelling their residents, and converting them into field interrogation centres or military outposts due to their location overlooking the town or for other security reasons.

Settlement expert Jamal Juma told us that the policy of seizing homes is not new and that Israel began implementing it before the war on Gaza in October 2023.

The evolving situation is that Israel is now giving Israeli settlers a greater role in the displacement of Palestinians or the seizure of their homes. Military laws, which previously provided a semblance of legal cover for home confiscations, have become ineffective, and the seizure or theft is now carried out without any justification and in broad daylight.

“An example of settlers leading the takeover of Palestinian property is the displacement of more than 70 Bedouin communities from over 950 square kilometres of land in the Jordan Valley and the construction of settlement outposts on it. Even land confiscation no longer requires any formal procedures; simply seizing it has become incredibly easy,” Juma explained.

In his view, all the seizures of Palestinian property are being exploited by Israel to capitalize on the political climate and expedite the annexation of the occupied West Bank.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 2,842 Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their homes in the occupied West Bank between January 2024 and September 2025 due to damage and destruction caused by Israeli military incursions.

Meanwhile, 1,897 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes due to Israeli settler violence or being prevented from accessing them.

Fayha’ Shalash is a journalist from Ramallah in the West Bank. She completed her undergraduate studies from Birzeit University in 2008, with a major in radio and television.

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