At least 16 homes demolished in the occupied Negev

Israeli authorities demolished 16 homes in the unrecognized village of al-Sarra in the Negev desert in the 1948 territories on Monday.

Hundreds of police officers were deployed to the area, surrounding the homes and preventing residents from approaching the demolition site.

Suleiman al-Hawashla, director general of the Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages, said, "The demolitions come after the Beersheba Court's decision last Thursday to demolish the village's homes and empty it of its residents."

Al-Hawashleh added to Arab48 that "the demolition operations today target at least 16 homes, while some residents had demolished their homes themselves during the past period."

He pointed out that "about 1,500 citizens from the Azzazmeh tribe live in the village, and the village lacks any infrastructure, including roads, water, electricity, and sewage networks, schools, medical facilities, and more."

Al-Hawashleh continued, "The demolitions are part of the forced displacement policies practiced by the Israeli authorities against Palestinians in the 1948 territories and the Negev in particular, while at the same time plans are being announced to establish new settlements in the region."

Sources from the Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages reported that "over the next two weeks, more than 200 homes in the village of al-Sarra are expected to be demolished, effectively destroying the entire village and uprooting and displacing its residents."