It is the beginning of their nightmares. Many Palestinians go to bed every night without knowing if their home will be bulldozed during the night by the Israeli police. According to Jeff Halper, founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), destroying residences is one of Israel's main weapons in the occupation of Palestinian land.
The destruction of homes is similar in most cases. The police, and sometimes the military, arrive at dawn while families are sleeping. They surround the house and call for the family to come outside. If the family resists, they will be forcefully removed and the bulldozers will begin their tragic task of destruction. Only sometimes are families allowed to take some of their possessions with them.
At other times the homes, because of their size, are wired with explosives and blown up, rather than bulldozed. When that happens, the police form a human barrier in front of the street leading to the house, to block the residents from any resistance when seeing their homes wired with explosives and destroyed. An Amnesty International report states that house demolitions are many times carried out without prior warning and the home's inhabitants are given little time to evacuate.