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Home demolition is considered a miserable and frequent reality of life for thousands of Palestinian people. Recently, in January 2020, at least 44 structures were demolished by Israeli forces, displacing at least 87 people. Studies have revealed high levels of stress was associated with losing a family home during home demolition, and the stress doesn’t only carry out immediate effects but also long-term mental consequences. This paper aims to provide an overview of the literature and established studies related to the mental health consequences of home demolitions in Palestine.

Methods PubMed, Science Direct, Semantic Scholar and Google Scholar were used to search for materials for the critical analysis of empirical articles. The following aspects were taken into consideration: study type, sample, and key findings.

Results In this review, nine studies related to mental health consequences of home demolition were found and considered in this paper. The results indicate depression, stress, anxiety, phobias and lack of hope in the future are mutual themes running throughout the lives of those Palestinian families who have actually experienced home demolition along with those who have experienced a constant threat of demolition to their homes. In addition, many of life stressors such as lack of educational opportunities, low incomes, and a tendency to live in poor housing conditions after and before demolition also play a role in developing serious mental disorders.

Conclusion As primary prevention, the practice of home demolition in Palestine has to be ended. In addition to conduct a constant monitoring of the resulting displacement and the damage caused, and ensuring the necessary assistance in particular mental health and psychological support for victims of home demolitions.

Background Palestine (Occupied Palestinian Territories) is an eastern Mediterranean country that seeks independence and freedom. The term "oPt" as a whole refers to the geographic region of the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel and in which this small region has attracted the world’s attention for a long time [1]. Before the World War II, Palestine was under British mandate. In 1948, Palestine name was removed and replaced with a new nation (Israel). Britain was committed to support the established Zionist movement that sought to create “a national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine [2]. While the Israelis considered it "liberation," the Palestinians considered the beginning of the "catastrophe" ‘Nakba’ [3]. The violent birth of Israel led to a major displacement of the Arab population. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in the year 2012, 7.4 million (66%) of the global population of 11.2 million Palestinians have been displaced forcibly from their homeland [4]. As a result, most of Palestinian people were evicted forcibly, displaced from their homes and became refugees into different neighborhood countries e.g. Jordan and Syria. The others remained in the occupied Palestine [5].

In 2002, Israel started to build a physical barrier with parts of it isolating the Palestinians’ cities and villages. Israel called it a ‘fence’ and Palestinians called it a ‘Separation Wall’ [6]. In the years 2008, 2012 and 2014, there was a prolonged siege that included movement restrictions on food and individuals, especially in the Gaza Strip [7]. One of the many ways in which the Israeli government controls the Palestinian population–alongside theses: Separation Wall, water shortages, the appropriation of Palestinian land and the segregation of Palestinians living in different occupied areas–is through home demolition [8]. Home has such a central meaning in Palestinian culture. It is not only a shelter, but also the heart of family life [9]. Inside every Palestinian home there are mutual memories of pain and joy as well as attachment to familiar objects. Palestinians believe in the security of home since they consider being in place, as part of a family, and as a resident in their village and thus part of a broader nation. Moreover, the idea of security has a historical meaning, and this means that homes would be built for the express purpose of repelling invaders [10].

The urban architecture of Palestine prior to 1850 was relatively elegant [11]. Two types of house predominated in Palestine from the second millennium BCE through to the modern era: the simple house found commonly in rural areas and the courtyard house found mostly in urban centers [11, 12]. The sense of "rootedness" and "unmediated connectedness" which characterized Palestinian Arab architecture was admired by many travelers [13]. The majority of Palestinians live in the same house and neighborhood their entire life, and moving to another house or neighborhood is not done regularly because in many cases they maintain strong social ties with their families and neighbors [10, 14]. Although the behaviors of races and cultures differ among people around the world, the basic needs they satisfy are very similar. According to the psychologist Abraham Maslow, the need for shelter is one of the first and most important human needs [15]. In any given year approximately 750 000 people lose their housing through demolition worldwide. In many instances, those living in locations targeted by demolition have little say in the disposition of their neighborhood and often face difficulty in finding appropriate replacement housing [16]. Although, thousands of Palestinian populations throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt) and (Palestinians who are living in occupied land since 1948) has received humanitarian response to such practices through shelters, they were subject to the continuity of demolition or confiscation [17]. According to Amnesty International reports, it highlighted Israeli missile attacks on the Gaza Strip, which destroyed entire families. Most of their homes were crowded with relatives, and they were attacked by large missals. For example, the organization examined eight cases, in which Israeli attacks targeting at least 111 people were killed and civilian homes destroyed. Survivors described the terrible destruction of their homes as they searched the bodies of children and loved ones and most of the West Bank residents were very concerned about their relatives in the Gaza Strip during the military operation [18, 19].

The WHO has deemed housing as a preexisting condition of health, since it is a fundamental human right and a major social determinant of health [20, 21]. Worldwide, approximately 60% of the population have severe and disabling mental health disorders, which are expected to rise to 75% after severe trauma or loss [22]. According to WHO, an increase in the burden of mental and psycho-social disorders can be expected in a population experiencing prolonged occupation, lack of personal security, severe movement restrictions and human rights violations, including displacement in a post-conflict situation” [23]. In general, silent ethnic cleansing practices in Palestine in the past seventy years, the impact on mental health is one of the most important consequences for the Palestinian population [24]. Such of policy of house demolitions, along with settlements, restricted movement, exposure to threats or even killed, have left thousands of Palestinians subject to severe distress which could lead to major psychological and mental disorders [19].

According to the WHO, mental health challenges” is "one of the most important public health challenges" in the OPT [25]. In general, there are many factors, including economic, political, social and cultural factors that play a role in determining the state of mental health and providing services to residents [26]. It is well established that there is a gap between the mental health needs of the Palestinian population and the provision of mental health services. For instance, the mental health system faces specific challenges related to occupation and political conflict. According to Marie et al. [27] restrictions on freedom and movement greatly limit patients receiving care outside their area of residence, in addition to the cost of treatment, the inconsistent availability of medications on the WHO Essential Medicines List, as well as insufficient specialists and by absence of interdisciplinary teamwork.

Indeed, home demolitions can lead to multi-faceted negative consequences: family disruptions, loss of culture, loss of identity, mental health problems, et cetera. Given these challenges in light of policy of home demolitions, there is a pressing need to look around mental health condition for whom experienced their homes demolished. This paper aims to provide an overview of the literature and established studies related to the mental health consequences of home demolitions for Palestinian families who have actually experienced home demolition along with those who have experienced a constant threat of demolition to their homes.

Israeli home demolition policy The roots of Israel's house demolition policy date back to British Mandate, which has always been the overwhelming weapon of colonialism. The home demolition policy was implemented under Article 119 of the "Defense of Law (Emergency)" regulations. Although the British claimed to repeal the law upon their departure, the Israeli regime continued to use it [28]. The military government implements demolitions by either detonating the house with explosives or destroying it with bulldozers. When demolitions seem unattainable for technical reasons, the military government usually closes houses and closes their doors and windows using bricks or metal sheets. In cases of destruction and sealing, families are forbidden to rebuild their homes or use their lands in any way [29]. For instance, during the first year of intifada in 1987, 125 houses were demolished and 41 were sealed; in the second year, 158 houses were demolished and 80 were sealed; in the third year, 88 houses were demolished and 96 were sealed; and in the fourth year, 47 houses were demolished and 48 were sealed. In the fifth year (beginning December 1991) 8 houses were demolished and 22 were sealed [30].