For the fifth year in a row, we have collated statistics from every demolition/confiscation of structures, destruction of water systems, or razing of land that Israel has carried out in both the West Bank and within Israel’s borders.

We have searched for photographic or video evidence of which company’s equipment (for example JCB or Caterpillar) was used in each incident in 2022. The below table shows a breakdown of the top seven bulldozers and cranes that carried out the most demolitions or confiscations of homes and other structures.  Our results also show the absolute minimum number of people that each company displaced or affected in 2022.  (Scroll left to right if viewing the table on a mobile phone or tablet).

Key points:

• 2022 saw the Israeli occupation using Hitachi bulldozers in a number of demolitions. Between 2018 and 2021, the Japanese company’s machinery had rarely been used.
• 2022 also saw the Israeli occupation using JCB excavators, as well as smaller backhoe loaders, in demolitions of structures and water systems. Before 2022, it was only JCB’s backhoe loaders that were used.

The top three bulldozers/cranes used to demolish or confiscate structures:

1. Hyundai
2. JCB
3. Caterpillar

The top three bulldozers or cranes used to demolish or confiscate homes:

1. Hyundai
2. Caterpillar
3. JCB

The top three bulldozers or cranes that displaced the most people:

1. Hyundai
2. Caterpillar
3. JCB

The top three bulldozers or cranes that displaced the most children:

1. Hyundai
2. Caterpillar
3. JCB

The top three bulldozers or cranes that affected or displaced the most people:

1. JCB
2. Hyundai
3. Caterpillar

The top three bulldozers or cranes that affected or displaced the most children:

1. Hyundai
2. JCB
3. Caterpillar

How we compiled our data

We compiled our data by partnering with Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and using its monthly Demolition & Displacement Reports. We painstakingly searched the internet for photo/video evidence of which bulldozer or crane was used for each demolition/confiscation/razing of land/chopping down of trees.

For a number of demolitions, we could not be 100% sure of the bulldozer used, and therefore these demolitions are not included in our final figures. This is because many news agencies and social media users upload stock photos or random photos of demolitions when reporting on a specific incident. If we were uncertain whether a photo was a stock photo, we did not include it in our results.

We used ICAHD’s statistics to record the number of people displaced/affected in each incident, and then added them up to make a total. If ICAHD didn’t record the number of people displaced or affected in an incident, we conservatively counted just one person as being affected. *If ICAHD didn’t specify whether the people affected were adults or children, we counted them as adults. Therefore, the number of children displaced or affected is likely much higher than our statistics.

We also recorded incidents that were not on ICAHD’s list, such as the razing of people’s land, the blocking of a road, and the destruction of trees. If there was no reliable figure for the number of people affected, we conservatively estimated one person, even for a road closure that would affect whole villages. The real number of people affected by each company’s equipment is, in reality, much higher.

You can view our spreadsheet breakdown of every single incident here. You can view our month-by-month summary here.