Israel demolishes Bedouin Palestinian homes leaving 250 homeless

Israeli forces demolished between 50 and 80 homes and a mosque belonging to a Bedouin Palestinian clan on Monday, leaving about 250 people homeless. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the demolitions began late on Sunday near the southern city of Rahat after an Israeli court rejected a request to postpone the orders. The newspaper reported that the Abu Wadi clan, who had lived in the area for decades, were forced to dismantle their own homes and had not been provided with alternative housing. One resident described the experience of destroying his own home as "catastrophic, impossible to describe". "This is the hardest day I've ever …[had] of my life," he told Haaretz. Read more: Israel demolishes Bedouin Palestinian homes leaving 250 homeless Children sit on top of the rubble of a building demolished by Israeli forces near the city of Rahat on 12 October 2026 (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)