In two weeks only, ‘Israel’ demolished or seized 89 Palestinian-owned structures, displacing 146 people, including 83 children

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territory said 89 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished or seized by the Israeli occupation, displacing 146 people, of whom 83 were children, and otherwise affecting at least 330.

In its two-week period report covering between 2 and 15 February, OCHA said that on 3 and 8 February, the Israeli occupation demolished 37 structures, most of which were donated, in Hamsa al-Bqaia in the northern Jordan Valley.

Sixty people, including 35 children, were displaced on each occasion.

On 16 February, Israeli forces confiscated five donor-funded livelihood tents.

The community, most of which is located in an area designated for Israeli military training, has been subject to multiple mass demolitions in recent months.

A UN statement issued on 5 February warned that pressure on the community to move raises a real risk of forcible transfer.

In the south of the occupied West Bank, south of Hebron, seven structures, including mobile latrines, were seized in the communities of al Rakeez, Umm al-Kheir and Khirbet at Tawamin, affecting the living conditions and livelihoods of 80 people.

The livelihoods of about 70 people were affected as a result of the demolition of 13 beverage stalls in al Jalama near Jenin in the north of the West Bank.

In addition, the Israeli occupation demolished, on punitive basis, a home in Tura al Gharbiya village near Jenin, displacing 11 people, including four children. The house belonged to the family of a Palestinian who was indicted for killing an Israeli settler in December.

Seven structures were also demolished in East Jerusalem, including four by their owners who wished to avoid fines; a family of four was displaced.

Meanwhile, Israeli occupation injured four Palestinians, including a child, and damaged Palestinian-owned properties, including trees, during the reporting period, said the OCHA report.

Since the start of 2021, the Israeli occupation have demolished, seized or forced people to demolish at least 199 Palestinian-owned structures, including 77 donor-funded, displacing 285 people, including some 150 children.

This represents an over 200 per cent increase in structures targeted, and an over 500 per cent increase in donor-funded structures targeted, compared to the equivalent period in 2020, said the OCHA report.