'State-backed terrorism': Hamas slams Ben-Gvir’s demolition orders to Bedouin families in Negev
The Palestinian resistance group accuses Israel’s far-right minister of spearheading systematic displacement after he personally delivered demolition notices to Bedouins residing in the Negev desert.
Hamas has sharply condemned Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after he personally led police officers in delivering demolition and eviction orders to Palestinian Bedouin families residing in the Negev desert, describing the move as “organised terrorism and state-sponsored repression.”
In a statement released on the group’s official Telegram channel on Thursday, Hamas said the scene of Ben-Gvir confronting Bedouin residents and handing out the orders was a clear demonstration of the “arrogance and systematic oppression” driving Israeli government policies.
A video circulating online shows a Bedouin resident defying Ben-Gvir, telling him: “You don’t give me the right to live — give me my right to live,” as the minister oversaw police distributing demolition notices in a Bedouin community in southern Israel.
The Israeli government classifies approximately 40 villages in the Negev Desert as "unrecognised," claiming that the roughly 55,000 Palestinian Bedouins living there cannot prove their ownership of the land.
There are around 1.6 million Palestinians in Israel, accounting for around 20 percent of the country's population.
‘Fascist policies’
Hamas said the intimidation of Bedouin communities — through threats of displacement and the loss of homes — reflects a broader pattern of racial discrimination, forced eviction and provocation pursued against Palestinians.
The Palestinian resistance group warned that the “repressive and fascist policies” of the Israeli government risk sparking serious consequences on the ground and called on the international community and human rights organisations to intervene immediately to halt the planned demolitions and displacement.
“These actions reinforce a policy of brutality devoid of legal or ethical limits,” the statement said, urging global actors to deter Israel from moving forward with what it described as demographic engineering targeting indigenous Bedouin communities.
Hamas stressed that the resilience of Palestinian communities remains the “bulwark” against Israeli efforts to reshape the demographic and territorial landscape in favour of illegal settlement expansion and control.