Demolition at al-Rifa'iyya village

On May 28, Israeli authorities have invaded the village of al-Rifa'iyya in order to destroy a fence, solar panels, a water tank, a chicken coop, and a family home – a father, mother, and six children.

The forces evacuated the family from the house and prevented them from removing their belongings, so they would be destroyed along with the house.

The systematic destruction of homes is an integral part of the state’s efforts to dispossess Palestinians of their land and push them into the urban ghettos of Area A – which themselves are subject to endless raids and attacks by the Israeli military.

Testimony of local activist Mohammad Hesham Huraini @MHureini:

"Today, a large-scale demolition took place in my community, Masafer Yatta. IOF forcibly displaced yet another family in the village of Al-Rifaiya, leaving them homeless. But it didn’t stop there — they moved on to the nearby village of Al-Jawaya, next to my village Al-Tuwani, demolished an agricultural home and a livestock shelter that families depend on to survive. This is not just destruction. This is a deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing — a systematic attempt to erase us from our land and our lives. Every home destroyed is a family shattered. Every demolition is an act of violence. And every silence is complicity. We are here. We will not be erased. The world must see. The world must act."

According to the Activestills Collective:

Israeli forces demolished two homes and agricultural structures in The villages of Ar Rifa’iyya and al-Jawaya, east of the city of Yatta. In Ar Rifa’iyya the home belongs to the Al-Amur family and 8 people lived there.

The home in Al-Jawaya, made of tin, housed 5 members of the Shawahiya family (Photo 1) and their sheep pen.

These demolitions have left the family displaced and without shelter or livelihood. The destruction is part of a broader pattern of demolitions in Area C of the West Bank, where Palestinians often face severe restrictions on building and development. The Photoreporter was @basilaladraa and @mosab.shawer for Activestills.

Location

The village mentioned, א-ריפאעיה (al-Rifa'iyya), is a Palestinian village located in the southern West Bank, near Yatta in the Hebron Governorate.

Area A refers to one of the three administrative divisions of the West Bank established under the Oslo II Accord (1995) between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Here's what it means:

• Full Palestinian civil and security control.
• Comprises about 18% of the West Bank.
• Includes major Palestinian cities like Ramallah, Nablus, Bethlehem, and parts of Hebron.
• Israeli citizens are prohibited from entering without special permission.

In practice, the Israeli military regularly enters Area A for operations such as arrests or raids, despite the official designation.