Israeli National Security Minister Oversees Demolition of 10,000 Illegal Structures in 18 Months

Under the enforcement policy led by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a significant milestone was reached with the demolition of the 10,000th illegal building in just a year and a half. The latest demolition took place in the Jawarish neighborhood of Ramla. Since the beginning of 2025, approximately 10,000 illegal structures have been torn down across the country, primarily in the Negev region, with nearly 6,000 of these demolitions occurring in the past year alone.

This enforcement campaign has resulted in the reclamation of land equivalent in size to the combined areas of Tel Aviv and Givatayim. Ben-Gvir personally visited the Jawarish neighborhood to oversee the demolition efforts and emphasized the government's firm stance against illegal construction. He stated that previous authorities were hesitant to confront illegal building and criminal families, effectively abandoning state lands. However, he vowed to continue the demolitions and warned offenders that the only way to avoid forced demolition is to dismantle illegal structures themselves before government bulldozers do so.