For Security Reasons: The Israeli Occupation Army Uproots About 6,000 Olive Trees in the Town of Idhna, West of Hebron

2026-03-07

For Security Reasons: The Israeli Occupation Army Uproots About 6,000 Olive Trees in the Town of Idhna, West of Hebron

Violation: Uprooting thousands of olive trees

Date: March 7, 2026

Location: Idhna / Hebron Governorate

Perpetrator: Israeli Occupation Army

Victims: Farmers from the town of Idhna

Details:

The Israeli occupation army uprooted approximately 6,000 olive trees from farmers’ lands in the town of Idhna, west of Hebron, under the pretext of "taking security measures."

The demolition and tree uprooting were concentrated in the northern part of the town (the Liya area), next to Bypass Road 35, passing through farmers’ lands near the Tarkumiya checkpoint leading to the occupied interior, and along the annexation and expansion wall that passes through all the lands west of the town.

The land excavation and tree uprooting were carried out pursuant to two military orders issued by the Israeli army on February 8, 2026, entitled "taking security measures," which demanded the uprooting and relocation of trees and wild plants to alternative locations.

The occupation army gave landowners a 7-day deadline to uproot their trees themselves, threatening to carry out the orders themselves if the owners did not comply.

The army targeted Idhna lands with the following two orders:

Military Order No.	Plot Number	Location
02/26	4	Beit Al-Ban
4	Marah Abu Haid	10
11	Ras Al-Bayda, Khalat Al-Jawza	12
23	Khalat Al-Sarara	24
03/26	9	Site of Katil

According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture office in Idhna, approximately 5,968 trees aged between 4 and 100 years were uprooted, planted on an area of 285.5 dunams, and belonging to 115 farmers.

It is estimated that around 1,000 residents of the town, including about 500 children, were affected.

Farmer Jalal Mahmoud Salimiya (63 years old) stated in an interview with the center’s researcher:

"I own a 2-dunam plot in the Khillat Shiha area, west of the town, planted with old olive trees. About six years ago, I uprooted the old trees and replaced them with new olive saplings, which had been growing for about five years. When they began to bear fruit, the occupation army uprooted them, depriving my family of their produce and income. This affected 16 family members, including 10 children and 4 females."

Salimiya added:

"The uprooting operation lasted for about six days, using excavators that uprooted the trees and left them on site."

Farmer Mohammad Nimer Awad (52 years old) also reported:

"I own a 500 m² plot in the Liya area near the northern entrance of Idhna, planted with 40-year-old Roman olive trees, totaling 10 trees. We used to harvest them every year, but we were surprised when the occupation army uprooted them without issuing any order. This plot was not included in the military order targeting the western lands of the town. I saw a military bulldozer uproot the trees, and when I tried to access the site to at least use the trees as firewood, the soldiers refused. Later, settlers passing along Bypass Road 35 stole the trees."

The Director of Agriculture and Veterinary Affairs in Idhna, Engineer Thaer Amro, stated:

"This large-scale uprooting of trees by the occupation represents a major blow to the environment and green areas in the town. Around 80% of Idhna’s residents (about 30,000 people) rely on tree farming, with olives being the dominant crop. The town has 3 or 4 olive presses and is one of the first towns to have such presses due to the scale of its agriculture. Idhna’s olive oil is considered among the highest quality in the region. The occupation had previously confiscated large cultivated areas, leaving them behind the annexation wall."

In conclusion, uprooting hundreds of olive trees in Idhna constitutes a complex violation of international humanitarian law and environmental law. According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, an occupying force is prohibited from destroying private property unless it is an absolute military necessity—a condition that does not apply to widespread removal of civilian agricultural trees.

Environmentally, the destruction of trees violates United Nations Environment Programme principles related to biodiversity conservation and land degradation prevention, leading to loss of vegetation cover, increased risk of desertification, and soil deterioration.

Thus, this measure is not only legally illegitimate but also causes long-term environmental damage affecting citizens’ livelihoods and access to a healthy environment.

According to the same statistics obtained by the Land Research Center, the occupation targeted the farmers listed in the following table:

No.	Farmer Name	Location	Area (dunums)	Number of Trees	Tree Age (years)
1	Mohammad Raed Sami Atmezeh	Wadi Al-Safar	3	80	30
2	Rashid Mahmoud Abdel Tamizeh	Beit Alam, Karm Abu Saku	3	20	20
3	Khaled Abdel Hamid Ahmad Salimiya	Wadi Abu Al-Khail	4	49	16
4	Mohammad Raed Sami Atmezeh	Wadi Al-Safar	3	80	30
5	Nemer Khalil Taha Awadeh	Al-Hamoush	0.25	6	17
6	Jalal Mahmoud Abdullah Salimiya	Khillet Shiha	2	60	5
7	Rashid Mahmoud Abdel Tamizeh	Beit Alam	3	40	15
8	Salah Rizq Mahmoud Tamayza	Al-Liyya, near bypass road	1.5	28	30
9	Mohammad Youssef Abdel Fattah Atmezeh	Khillet Abu Daqi	3	70	60
10	Omar Abdel Hamid Ahmad Salimiya	Khillet Abu Daqi	3	40	30
11	Mohannad Kamel Hussein Atmezeh	Al-Liyya	1	20	50
12	Mohammad Mahmoud Ibrahim Akhlawi	Al-Samaqa	5	18	35
13	Mohammad Hisham Mohammad Abu Zlatah	Khillet Abu Daqi	1	50	15
14	Mohammad Ahmad Ismail Awad	Khillet Abu Daqi	4	55	23
15	Mohammad Salameh Abdel Fattah Atmezeh	Wadi Al-Bayda & Khillet Al-Arais	6	50	20
16	Mohammad Ahmad Ali Al-Jiawi	Shaab Al-Khanazir Al-Bas	4	50	25
17	Khaled Abdel Majid Mohammad Tamizeh	Ktaf Al-Samaqa	2.41	70	25
18	Marwa Ahmad Ali Al-Jiawi	Marah Saad	0.5	25	30
19	Khaled Azmi Mohammad Ajbara	Al-Bas	6	100	35
20	Ibrahim Hashim Al-Batran	Al-Ras	3	50	25
21	Saeed Ibrahim Abdel Fattah Salimiya	Khillet Shiha	1.5	20	5
22	Mohammad Saadi Mohammad Tamizeh	Beit Alam	1.5	24	42
23	Mohammad Ezzat Abdel Fattah Tamizeh	Al-Liyya	1	20	100
24	Shadi Wasfi Mohammad Salimi	Khillet Abu Daqi	8	45	50
25	Abdel Qader Ahmad Abdel Fattah Nemer	Khillet Abu Daqi	3.5	75	20
26	Khaled Ahmad Abdel Fattah Nemer	Khillet Abu Daqi	3.5	75	20
27	Abdel Qader Ahmad Abdel Fattah Nemer	Khillet Saad	1	20	20
28	Hashem Mohammad Ahmad Nofal	Khillet Saad	4	40	40
29	Mohammad Ahmad Hassan Tamizeh	Khillet Abu Daqi	2	30	20
30	Jamil Mohammad Ibrahim Tamizeh	Wadi Al-Bada	5	170	15
31	Saadi Diab Hussein Jiawi	Al-Bas	2	60	20
32	Ishaq Deeb Abdel Fattah Nofal	Khillet Saad	2.5	100	5
33	Rashad Abdel Fattah Ahmad Al-Asoud	Al-Ras	5	100	20
34	Raed Kamel Hussein Tamizeh	Al-Liyya	0.6	20	50
35	Mohammad Abdel Azim Fayyad Al-Qaisi	Al-Liyya	1.29	22	45
36	Mohannad Kamel Hussein Tamizeh	Wadi Al-Sifr	1	38	35
37	Raed Kamel Hussein Tamizeh	Wadi Al-Sifr, Ashbour	0.4	20	15
38	Abdel Latif Badawi Abdel Fattah Tamizeh	Beit Alam	2	50	20
39	Rizq Mahmoud Abdel Fattah Nemer	Bir Abu Al-Khail	1.5	30	20
40	Abdel Fattah Mahmoud Abdel Fattah Nemer	Bir Abu Al-Khail	4.5	100	20
41	Mohammad Ahmad Hassan Tamizeh	Khillet Abu Daqi	3	67	38
42	Mohammad Issa Mohammad Mahasneh	Al-Liyya	1.8	38	80
43	Mahmoud Mohammad Mahmoud Atmezeh	Beit Alam	1	35	40
44	Bassam Mohammad Hassan Jbara	Beit Alam	6	110	30
45	Jawad Mahmoud Abdullah Salimiya	Khillet Abu Daqi	2	40	30
46	Badawi Ismail Sabri Akhlazi	Al-Liyya	1.5	48	20
47	Mohammad Khalil Mahmoud Salimiya	Zad Al-Shomer	2.2	95	35
48	Ziad Jibrin Ahmad Atmezeh	Wadi Al-Bayda	1	50	11
49	Mohammad Abdel Azim Al-Qaisi	Al-Liyya	1	20	45
50	Wasfiya Nemer Mohammad Tamizi	Al-Samaqa	1	30	50
51	Rima Mahmoud Shahadeh Jiawi	Al-Bas	2	15	15
52	Mohammad Salameh Abdel Fattah Tamizeh	Khillet Al-Arais	1.8	33	30
53	Omar Khalil Diab Jiawi	Al-Bas	1.5	45	15
54	Muath Khalil Diab Jiawi	Al-Bas	1	40	10
55	Ismail Ahmad Ismail Tamizeh	Wadi Al-Bayda	5	135	40
56	Mohammad Ali Ibrahim Tamizeh	Al-Liyya	1.5	35	50
57	Jibril Hussein Mohammad Tamizeh	Wadi Al-Sifr	1.5	40	35
58	Rami Abdel Majid Ragheb Salimiya	Khillet Shiha	2	50	50
59	Abdel Rahim Ahmad Abdel Hamid Salimiya	Khillet Shiha	2	50	30
60	Saadi Mohammad Abdel Hamid Salimiya	Khillet Shiha	2	50	30
61	Saadi Diab Hussein Jiawi	Al-Bas	2	60	20
62	Mohammad Abdel Hamid Ahmad Akhlawi	Al-Samaqa	3	75	30
63	Salah Rizq Mahmoud Tamayza	Al-Liyya	1.5	28	25
64	Islam Aqel Muslim Tamizeh	Al-Liyya	3.5	20	20
65	Nawaf Ahmad Ali Al-Jiawi	Al-Bas	4	104	20
66	Jihad Dheeb Abdel Fattah Nofal	Al-Bas	2	50	20
67	Amjad Ahmad Ismail Salimiya	Khillet Saad	5	140	8
68	Mohammad Salem Abdel Hamid Nofal	Khillet Shiha	2	60	15
69	Sofyan Mahmoud Abu Zlatah	Khillet Saad	2	60	7
70	Shaher Ibrahim Mahmoud Al-Jiawi	Al-Bas & Khillet Saad	2	50	15
71	Mohammad Fadel Abdullah Al-Asoud	Al-Bas	2	40	20
72	Mohammad Mahmoud Mohammad Al-Asauda	Al-Bas	2	40	7
73	Ibrahim Mohammad Ahmad Tamizeh	Beit Alam	2	40	15
74	Jamil Saqr Ismail Tamizeh	Beit Alam	3	70	15
75	Firas Yasser Saqr Tamizeh	Beit Alam	3	70	15
76	Ahmad Qasem Mohammad Salimiya	Wadi Abu Al-Khail	3	60	20
77	Mohammad Mousa Nemer Salimiya	Khillet Abu Daqi	2	19	35
78	Adel Abdel Majid Mohammad Atmezeh	Khillet Abu Mismar	1	25	20
79	Kamal Hussein Mohammad Tamizeh	Al-Bas	2	50	25
80	Saadi Mohammad Mahmoud Abu Zlatah	Wadi Al-Shomer	6	80	30
81	Mahmoud Abdel Rahman Abdel Fattah Atmezeh	Wadi Al-Bayda	1	20	20
82	Qusai Abdel Hamid Ahmad Tamizeh	Beit Alam	2	50	50
83	Khalil Abdel Azim Fayyad Al-Qaisi	Al-Liyya	2	35	36
84	Mohammad Mahmoud Abdel Tamizeh	Khillet Al-Srarah	1	17	10
85	Mahmoud Khaled Mohammad Shawabkeh	Khillet Saad	1.5	30	15
86	Abdullah Issa Nasar Atmezeh	Khillet Abu Mismar	2.8	80	10
87	Nadi Mohammad Samir Salimiya	Khillet Al-Qateel	2	25	7
88	Nadim Ibrahim Abdel Fattah Salimiya	Khillet Shiha	1.5	35	20
89	Ibtisam Ahmad Ali Salem	Khillet Saad	1	25	30
90	Louay Sami Shaker Tamizeh	Wadi Al-Sifr	1.5	30	20
91	Jibril Dheeb Mohammad Tamizeh	Beit Alam	2	40	20
92	Wael Hassan Abdel Fattah Salimiya	Khillet Shiha	1.8	45	15
93	Saadi Dheeb Hussein Jiawi	Al-Bas	2	60	20
94	Mohammad Afif Mahmoud Tamizeh	Al-Liyya	2	40	45
95	Naeem Abdel Aziz Ahmad Awad	Al-Bas	2.6	70	27
96	Shahadeh Nemer Shahadeh Jiawi	Shaab Al-Khanazir	3	95	20
97	Mohammad Nemer Shahadeh Jiawi	Shaab Al-Khanazir	3	95	20
98	Mahmoud Nemer Shahadeh Jiawi	Shaab Al-Khanazir	3	95	20
99	Firas Waleed Abdel Fattah Tamizeh	Wadi Al-Safar	2	120	40
100	Issa Ibrahim Khalil Abu Taima	Al-Fukhari	4	20	6
101	Jihad Ibrahim Khalil Abu Taima	Al-Fukhari	2	15	9
102	Halima Abdel Fattah Mohammad Khalil Atmezeh	Wadi Al-Safar	3	120	25
103	Mohammad Bassam Shaker Tamizeh	Khillet Abu Mismar	2	45	20
104	Wael Fawzi Ahmad Nofal	Khillet Abu Daqi	2.7	60	25
105	Jamal Salem Abdel Hamid Nofal	Khillet Shiha	1.5	35	4
106	Ayman Hassan Abdel Salimiya	Khillet Abu Daqi	4	150	20
107	Ahmad Abdel Rahman Abdel Fattah Tamizeh	Wadi Al-Bayda	1	20	20
108	Rizq Hussein Mohammad Al-Nattah	Khillet Jumaa	1.5	30	20
109	Anas Mohammad Abdel Fattah Awadeh	Al-Liyya	3	60	40
110	Afif Ibrahim Ahmad Abu Asaad	Al-Bas	3	50	20
111	Fadi Ziyad Mohammad Dheeb	Muntar Al-Jawza	2.2	30	10
112	Shaher Mohammad Ahmad Tamizeh	Wadi Al-Bayda	3	39	40
113	Mohammad Hussein Mohammad Farah Allah	Al-Jawza	6	50	30
114	Mahmoud Khalil Ahmad Salimi	Wadi Abu Al-Khalil	4	40	20
115	Mohammad Nemer Awad	Al-Liyya	0.5	10	40
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