JERUSALEM

Israeli forces on Thursday demolished the Palestinian al-Araqib Bedouin village in the southern Negev region for the 223rd time, according to a local activist.

The last demolition of the village's structures was in September 2023.

“The Israeli authorities demolished the village of al-Araqib today for the 223rd time,” activist Aziz al-Touri told Anadolu.

He said four vehicles were confiscated by Israeli forces during the demolition, vowing that inhabitants would rebuild the village anew.

Homes in al-Araqib, inhabited by 22 Palestinian families, are built of wood and plastic.

The village was first destroyed in 2010 and rebuilt after every demolition since then. Israeli authorities claim that the site where it is located falls under “state land.”

Al-Araqib residents are Arab citizens of Israel who were displaced in 1951 when the nascent state of Israel claimed the area as "state land."

Zochrot, a Tel Aviv-based NGO, said in a recent report that al-Araqib village was first built during the Ottoman period and its lands were purchased by residents.

Israeli authorities seek to seize control of the lands and expel its residents, with dozens of villages and Bedouin communities facing the same threat in the Negev area, according to Zochrot.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala in Istanbul