Israeli hostage returns to village and finds 70% of it is slated for demolition

An Arab Bedouin Israeli hostage who was recently freed from Gaza has returned to his village of Khirbet Karkur only to find that 70 per cent of its homes are slated for demolition by Israeli authorities.

Qaid Farhan Al-Qadi, 52, was welcomed home as a hero after 326 days in captivity in Gaza, where Israel has carried out an almost 11-month bombing campaign, killing its own citizens and indiscriminately bombing schools, hospitals and refugee shelters.

Al-Qadi’s return however was overshadowed by news that most of the houses in his village are facing the threat of demolition. While Al-Qadi’s family has not yet received a demolition notice, the majority of his neighbours have been informed that their homes will be razed.

A spokesperson for the Israel Land Authority was reported in the Associated Press as saying that “in light of the situation” it would not serve a demolition notice to the Al-Qadi family. However, this concession does not extend to his neighbours, whose homes remain under threat.

The Israeli government claims the houses were built without permits in a “protected forest” area not zoned for housing. Their situation further highlights the ongoing struggle faced by the Bedouin community in Israel, whose villages are often older than the state itself yet face regular demolition. Earlier this week Israel demolished the Palestinian bedouin village of Al-Araqeeb for the 229th time.

Muhammad Abu Tailakh, head of Khirbet Karkur’s local council, expressed mixed emotions about Al-Qadi’s return, saying: “It’s so exciting, we didn’t know if he’ll come back alive or not. But the good news is also a bit complicated, because of everything that’s going on.”

Ironically, Al-Qadi’s rescue and warm reception have been presented by some as evidence against allegations of apartheid in Israel. However, the planned demolitions in his village tell a different story. The Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality reports that 2,007 Bedouin structures were demolished in the first six months of 2024 alone, a 51 per cent increase compared to 2022.

Khirbet Karkur, like many unrecognised Bedouin villages, lacks basic infrastructure such as electricity, water and sewage systems. Residents, who were placed there by the government in the 1950s, are now being told to relocate to urban areas, a move that would fundamentally alter their traditional way of life.

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