Israel issues stop-work orders for 15 Palestinian homes in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army on Wednesday issued stop-work orders for 15 Palestinian homes in the village of Al-Walaja in the occupied West Bank on claims of lacking building permits, a local official said.

Khader Al-Araj, head of the Al-Walaja village council, told Anadolu that the Israeli army raided the village and deployed forces in the Khallat Al-Samak area to the north before delivering stop-work orders to the owners of the 15 homes.

In a related incident, Israeli forces demolished two agricultural rooms and a concrete wall in the Al-Sarj area in the same village.

Al-Araj explained that the two rooms were mobile homes used for agricultural purposes.

Israel routinely demolishes Palestinian homes and structures or issues stop-work orders for their construction, citing alleged lack of permits, particularly in Area C as defined by the 1995 Oslo II Accord between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel.

Under the agreement, the West Bank was divided into three areas: A, B, and C. Area A is under full Palestinian control, while Area B is under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security control.

Area C, which constitutes around 60% of the West Bank, is under full Israeli control.

Israeli authorities prohibit construction or land reclamation in Area C without permits, which Palestinians say are virtually impossible to obtain.

The demolition of homes violates international humanitarian law. The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the destruction of civilian property except when absolutely necessary for military purposes.

The home demolitions result in the displacement of entire families and the loss of their livelihoods, which are often linked to agriculture and livestock herding.

According to UN data, the demolition of Palestinian homes and structures in 2025 displaced more than 1,700 Palestinians.

Since Oct. 8, 2023, Israeli escalation by the army and settlers in the West Bank has killed 1,173 Palestinians, wounded 12,666, led to the arrest of about 23,000 and displaced 33,000, according to official Palestinian figures.