Gaza Herald – Dozens of residents in the unrecognized village of Al-Sarra face an eviction order issued by the Green Guard and Israel Land Authority. The document grants a strict thirty-day deadline to vacate their lands and demolish all existing structures. This decision targets citizens accused of unauthorized occupation of state land.
The directive demands the complete removal of fences, light buildings, and planted trees. Authorities require residents to restore the sites to their original state. Failure to comply threatens severe legal prosecution and imposes heavy financial costs on the families involved in this dispute over land rights.
Attiya Al-Aasem, head of the Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages, stated that these continuous threats will not break the resolve of the people in the Negev. He emphasized to Wafa news agency that these measures are part of a broader plan aimed at uprooting residents from their roots.
Al-Aasem described the actions as a blatant attack designed to empty the land of its original owners in favor of displacement projects and ethnic cleansing. He affirmed that the residents remain attached to their land and will not accept submission to these arbitrary decisions imposed upon them.
Jumaa Zbarqah, a prominent national figure in the Negev, indicated that the assault on Al-Sarra extends dangerous Israeli policies targeting Palestinians inside the Negev specifically. He explained that the occupation escalates repressive practices to impose a new demographic reality through population transfer.
Zbarqah warned that systematic evacuation and demolition seek to transform villages into military or settlement zones. He stressed the necessity of unifying ranks and responding legally and socially to this offensive against the local community’s existence and stability.
These notices raise alarms regarding the fate of Al-Sarra and similar villages in the Negev region. Families fear these warnings precede widespread demolition operations recently carried out in Ruma, Bir Hadaj, Um Namila, and Al-Ziyyaha among other locations.
He cautioned that this escalation reflects a desire to suffocate unrecognized villages and deprive their inhabitants of basic survival means. He noted that occupation authorities strongly push policies to empty the Negev of its people despite official silence.
This official silence is met with determined popular resistance focused on protecting land and housing regardless of the sacrifices required. The coordinated efforts aim to preserve the presence of Arab communities in the Negev against systematic pressure.
This report was produced in the Gaza Herald newsroom.
