Israeli army demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in occupied West Bank

By Qais Abu Samra and Tarek Chouiref

JENIN, Palestine/ISTANBUL (AA) – Israeli army forces demolished three Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, local sources said.

Military bulldozers stormed the town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank and razed the buildings owned by three Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire last year, the sources said.

The Israeli army accuses the three of involvement in carrying out attacks against Israeli targets.

According to witnesses, the demolitions triggered clashes between angry Palestinian residents and Israeli forces in the town.

Israel routinely demolishes the family homes of Palestinians it accuses of carrying out attacks, a policy widely condemned by human rights groups as collective punishment.

According to Palestinian figures, Israeli authorities demolished 588 Palestinian structures in the first half of this year, affecting 843 people, including 411 children.

During the same period, 556 demolition orders were issued, including 322 for inhabited homes and 151 for agricultural structures.

Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.