Israeli security forces on Wednesday demolished the houseof the sister of Youssef al-Ziadna, a Bedouin Israeli whose remains were taken hostage on October 7 after being murdered by Hamas.
The operation, which included bulldozers escorted by enforcement units, drew sharp criticism from the Ziadna family, who accused National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of driving an aggressive demolition policy.
Authorities did not immediately issue a public statement on the specific operation.
Ali al-Ziadna, Youssef’s brother, said he had previously asked to postpone the demolition for a year, but the request was denied.
He linked the timing to Ran Gvili’s funeral, saying, “I thought the government would bow its head because of the funeral, but they chose to destroy instead.” He added that officials did not come to offer condolences for his brother’s murder, yet “know how to demolish.”
Israel demolishes
Relatives said Wednesday’s action echoed a July operation when enforcement units, with bulldozers, arrived to demolish additional family structures they said belonged to Youssef’s brother, Khaled, and his son. A cousin, Salomian, said a roughly 60-square-meter residential unit was torn down, calling the move “outrageous” while the family remained in mourning during peak summer heat.
In a Facebook post, a relative named Suleiman attacked the decision, writing that in Israel “even if you are a hostage, a fallen, a soldier, or a model citizen, if you are Arab, you have no privilege,” and accusing “Ben-Gvir’s police” of pursuing Bedouin and Arab citizens.
He wrote that “democracy is dying,” alleging that legality and norms are eroding while the Gaza war continues “without an end.”
In a separate incident on Tuesday, the state cleared containers belonging to relatives of Hisham al-Sayed, the Bedouin Israeli whose remains were returned after years in Hamas captivity.
His father, Sha’aban al-Sayed, told Walla that the family had received demolition orders because the area lacked permits, but said the action showed the state “has no feeling.”
He added that the containers displayed signs calling for his son’s return and to raise awareness for the hostages.
In January 2025, the IDF announced it had recovered the bodies of Youssef al-Ziadna, 53, a father of 19, and his son Hamza from a tunnel in southern Gaza, stating both were abducted alive from Kibbutz Holit on October 7 and killed in captivity.
Two other children, Aisha and Bilal, were taken with them and were released on November 30, 2023, in a deal that focused on women and minors. The al-Ziadna family is from an unrecognized Bedouin community south of Rahat.