KEY POINTS
- Israel’s military ordered demolition of a soccer field in Aida refugee camp
- Palestinian children decry the loss of their only play space
- Order is seen as part of a broader pattern of displacement
- Human Rights Watch classifies such demolitions as war crime
WEST BANK, Palestine: Israeli military has issued a demolition order for a community soccer field in the densely populated Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem, threatening to erase one of the few open spaces where displaced Palestinian children can play and gather.
The order has drawn condemnation from Palestinian residents and international observers, who see it as part of a broader pattern of displacement and annexation fears in the illegally occupied Palestinian territory, Reuters reported.
‘It will destroy our dreams’
For the children of Aida camp, the field is more than just a patch of grass; it is a vital sanctuary.
“If the field gets demolished, this will destroy our dreams and our future. We cannot play any other place but this field, the camp does not have spaces,” said 13-year-old Rital Sarhan, a member of a girls’ soccer team that uses the pitch.
The field, managed by the Aida Youth Centre, serves as a critical outlet for hundreds of Palestinian youths in an area severely lacking in recreational infrastructure.
Military cites ‘illegal construction’
The Israeli military, in a statement justifying the order, claimed the field was built illegally in a prohibited zone adjacent to the concrete barrier wall Israel constructed in the illegally occupied West Bank.
“Along the security fence, a seizure order and a construction prohibition order are in effect; therefore, the construction in the area was carried out unlawfully,” the statement said.
Authorities gave the community seven days to demolish the structure themselves or face a forced demolition by the army, followed by a bill for the costs.
Mohammad Abu Srour, an administrator at the Aida Youth Centre, expressed bafflement at the military’s assertion that the soccer field posed a threat.
“Israel’s military told residents, that the soccer field represented a threat to the separation wall and to Israelis. I do not know how this is possible,” he said.
Demolitions and displacement
The move is not an isolated incident. Israel accelerated demolitions in Palestinian refugee camps in early 2025, leading to the displacement of approximately 32,000 residents in the central and northern West Bank.
These actions have drawn widespread international criticism and intensified Palestinian fears of a systematic effort by Israel to formally annex the territory it seized in the 1967 war.
Human Rights Watch has classified such demolitions as a war crime, arguing they amount to collective punishment and violate international law.
Israel maintains that its demolition operations are necessary for security reasons, aimed at disrupting militant activity.
