Israeli Occupation Forces Demolish a House in Ara Town in the Northern Triangle

SadaNews - This morning, Thursday, Israeli occupation forces demolished a house in Ara town in the Northern Triangle under the pretext of building without a permit, amidst a notable increase in demolition notices and financial penalties in the region.

 

The demolished house belonged to the Muhammad Shadafan family, who are from the town of Iksal and reside in Ara. The house consisted of two floors and was home to his entire family.

Early in the morning, Israeli police raided the town, providing protection for bulldozers and heavy demolition equipment, while preventing residents from approaching during the operation.

Videos showed that the targeted house was located in a built-up area that has existed for decades.

In a similar incident, authorities forced a citizen from the town of Ara’ra to self-demolish two homes for the second time after they deemed the first self-demolition inadequate, which compelled him to complete the demolition under police supervision.

Since the beginning of this year, about eight citizens have demolished their homes in the town of Ara’ra under the pretext of unpermitted construction, amid repeated court rulings regarding this matter.

The rise in demolition and self-demolition operations in Arab towns comes amid a severe housing crisis, due to delays in approving detailed and structural maps, and the reluctance to expand plans, which exacerbates the suffering of residents and pushes them to demolish their homes to avoid hefty fines and demolition costs that may reach hundreds of thousands of shekels.