Israel demolishes homes of Bedouin who saved 30 people — Jerusalem Post
In the unrecognized Israeli Bedouin village of Al-Ziadna near the city of Rahat, the homes of family members of driver Yousef Ziadna, who saved 30 Israelis during Hamas’s October 7 attack on the Nova music festival, have been demolished. Dozens more structures in the village, home to about 5,000 people, have demolition orders, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Awards and demolition orders
After the events of October 7, Israel called Ziadna a national hero. President Isaac Herzog awarded him the country’s highest civilian honor for bravery, and in 2024 Ziadna was selected to light a torch at Israel’s Independence Day ceremony. At the same time, he said that the authorities’ campaign against illegal construction diminishes this recognition.
Among the affected families are Ziadna’s relatives, who suffered losses during the Hamas attack. His cousin, also named Yousef al-Ziadna, and three of his children were abducted to Gaza. Two children were released after 55 days, while the father and another son, Hamza, died in captivity. Afterwards, the homes and other structures of the deceased hostage’s brother and sister were demolished.
Authorities also posted eviction notices for five more homes, including the residence of Atef al-Ziadna, whose son Abed al-Rahman was killed by Hamas at Zikim Beach on October 7. According to a copy of the document obtained by JTA, residents were given 30 days to vacate. Ziadna claims that in some cases demolitions began before this deadline.
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Dispute over the development plan
The Al-Ziadna area was included in a government-approved plan in 2021 to incorporate it into Rahat. It provides for approximately 1,900 housing units, as well as public buildings, roads, commercial areas and livestock facilities. However, the Bedouin Settlements Authority said that no residential plots have yet been allocated under this plan.
The agency described the structures facing demolition as new and illegally built. Its representative said implementation of the plan was partly delayed due to alleged obstruction by residents of surveyors’ work, drilling and archaeological work. Rahat Mayor Talal al-Krenawi said the allocation of plots is being held up by unresolved claims over land ownership and noted that he was unaware of any obstruction of planning work.
Tightened enforcement in the Negev
The demolitions in Al-Ziadna are part of a broader campaign to control construction in the Negev, which intensified under the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to data presented to the Knesset by Israel’s Ministry of National Security, about 14,280 unauthorized structures were demolished in the Negev in 2023–2025, 81% more than in the previous three years.
About 90,000 people live in dozens of unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev. Many of them lack reliable access to water supply, electricity, sewage systems or paved roads, and the state considers their homes illegal. Some of these communities existed before the establishment of Israel in 1948.
