Israel displaces 66th Palestinian village since October 2023: B'Tselem

Demolition of Khirbet al-Taban

Israeli rights group B'Tselem reported on Wednesday that Israeli forces demolished Khirbet al-Taban in the southern occupied West Bank, displacing roughly 70 residents including 28 children and bringing to 66 the number of Palestinian villages completely emptied since October 2023. The group said in a statement that forces raided the village south of Hebron on Wednesday morning and demolished all residential structures within hours.

"The forces did not leave a single home standing," B'Tselem said, adding that Israeli forces also demolished sheep pens, water tanks and storage facilities and destroyed caves in the area. The village is home to 12 families who were left homeless by the operation, which continued the pattern of displacement that has seen residents of 18 other villages partially expelled in the same period.

Systematic displacement campaign

B'Tselem Executive Director Yuli Novak stated that Israel was "continuing to erase Palestinian communities at an accelerating pace as part of the ethnic cleansing it is carrying out in the West Bank." Novak said the international community was standing "idly by while Palestinian lives are left exposed to Israeli violence," as displacement operations have forcibly removed about 4,931 Palestinians from their homes, including approximately 2,339 children and teenagers. The group noted that beyond the 66 completely emptied villages, residents of 18 other communities have faced partial displacement since the war began.

Escalating land seizures

The demolition comes amid escalating land seizures across the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, alongside attacks by occupiers and the establishment of illegal settlement outposts. In July, Israeli authorities issued 31 orders to seize approximately 831,000 square meters of Palestinian land, while the army and occupiers carried out 2,256 attacks against Palestinians and their property during the month, according to The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission. Since October 2023, Israeli forces and occupiers have intensified attacks throughout the territory through killings, arrests, forced displacement and illegal settlement expansion.