Israeli authorities demolished seven homes in the Bedouin village of Al-Serr, located west of Shaqib al-Salam in the Negev Desert, in a continuation of a sweeping campaign of forced displacement targeting the region’s Palestinian-Bedouin communities.

According to witnesses, Israeli bulldozers stormed the village under heavy protection from police forces, who cordoned off the demolition site and prevented residents from approaching their own homes.

Al-Serr, home to approximately 1,500 people, has already seen extensive demolitions in recent months, with more than 60 homes and agricultural structures destroyed in three phases. Local reports indicate that over 200 homes are at risk of demolition in the coming weeks, following an Israeli court order demanding the village’s evacuation.

The demolitions in Al-Serr form part of a broader campaign across the Negev that has affected more than 5,000 homes and facilities since the beginning of the current Netanyahu government. Human rights advocates say the campaign has increased by over 400%, reflecting Israeli plans to confine Bedouin communities into the smallest possible areas within recognized towns, while displacing residents from 38 unrecognized villages, home to roughly 90,000 people.

Critics argue that these measures aim to erase Bedouin presence from the Negev and pave the way for the construction of Israeli colonial towns on the ruins of Palestinian villages.

For the residents of Al-Serr, the demolitions represent a devastating loss of homes, property, and community. Many have lived in the village for generations, cultivating land and maintaining traditional livelihoods. The destruction of homes and agricultural structures threatens not only their physical safety but also their cultural and economic survival.

Human rights organizations have condemned the demolitions as part of a systematic campaign of displacement, highlighting Israel’s ongoing policies in the Negev as a violation of international law and a continuation of colonial practices against Palestinian communities. (ILKHA)