Israeli rights groups decry 'dehumanising' military invasions of Palestinian homes

The report, released in November, is based on two years of research carried out by Yesh Din, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) and Breaking the Silence. It includes extensive documentation and testimonies of soldiers and evicted families.

In addition to documenting accounts of military home invasions, the three organisation collected testimonies to highlight the impact. According to the report, the home invasions – often carried out in the middle of the night – result in "severe harm".

The raids leave Palestinian adults and children feeling vulnurable and unsafe in their own homes, the report concludes.

"The nights pass without my being able to close
my eyes, and I couldn't stay here at home. For a
long time, I couldn't sleep at home, and I would
sleep at my parents'. They [the soldiers] came
and broke down our door. I still haven't been
able to process it to this day," the report quotes a woman from Beit Ummar saying.

These raids are carried out to conduct arrests and search for weapons, as well as map houses of Palestinians and collect photos of family members.

Read also: Israel arrests Palestinian cultural leaders, raids centres

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, in defiance of international law, and commits various abuses against Palestinian civilians, human rights groups say.

More than 600,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in constructions considered illegal under international law.

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