Al-Qassam Website - On 1 August 2002, the Israeli occupation government officially adopted a policy of demolishing the family homes of Palestinians who carried out, planned, or assisted in attacks against Israeli occupation targets. However, this practice had been in use since 1967, when the Israeli occupation military occupied the entirety of Palestine.

The Israeli occupying forces have destroyed numerous homes owned by Palestinians whose family members were involved in resistance activities against the Israeli occupation, rendering thousands of Palestinian families homeless. The severity of this policy increased during the first Palestinian Intifada (1987-1994), as hundreds of Palestinian-owned homes were demolished by the Israeli occupying forces.

Official statistics indicate that, since the start of 2023, the Israeli occupation authorities have demolished a total of 136 homes in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. 

The demolition of Palestinian homes occurs through various means, including "military" demolitions, which are justified as protection for Israeli colonial settlements; "punitive" demolitions, carried out as a response to alleged involvement in military operations against Israeli occupation targets; and "administrative" demolitions, which are the most common and justified by the lack of building permits or for alleged public interest reasons.

All demolition decisions issued by the Israeli occupation courts are justified under the pretext of lacking an Israeli-municipality-issued building permit, which Palestinians find extremely difficult to obtain. The process involves exorbitant fines and can take 8 to 10 years to secure a highly expensive license, costing between 50,000 and 60,000 US dollars.

The Israeli occupation's home demolition policy has drawn widespread condemnation from the international community. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have reported on the violations associated with this policy.

This approach of collective punishment is viewed as a violation of international law and has led to the displacement of numerous Palestinian families, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.