Israeli forces demolish Palestinian house in West Bank

Israeli troops have razed the house of a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank despite international condemnation of the regime’s demolition campaign.

Witnesses and local residents said that Israeli soldiers and bulldozers rolled into in Qabatiyah town, south of Jenin, in the northern West Bank and leveled the house of Bilal Abu Zeid to the ground during the pre-dawn hours of Monday.

Kamal Abu al-Rub, the deputy governor of the city of Jenin said at least five young men were wounded by live ammunition during clashes with Israeli forces, with one in serious condition.

Tel Aviv accuses the owner of the house of being involved in a deadly attack on an Israeli paramilitary police officer back in February.

The Tel Aviv regime routinely demolishes the houses of Palestinians it accuses of assaults against Israelis.

Tel Aviv has stepped up its demolitions of Palestinian homes over the past months.

In a report in April, the UN said the Israeli military has tripled its demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures in the occupied territories since January. There has been a monthly average of 165 demolitions since January.

The demolished structures include houses and schools.

The demolitions have raised alarm among diplomats and human rights groups over the Tel Aviv regime’s sustained violation of international law.

Israeli rights group B’Tselem has condemned the practice as "court sanctioned revenge" and collective punishment,

The occupied territories have witnessed heightened tensions since August 2015, when Israel imposed restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).

More than 220 Palestinians have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces since the beginning of last October amid the tensions.

The provocative demolitions by the Israeli regime, as well as its refusal to stop illegal settlement construction on occupied Palestinian territories, have dimmed hopes for any attempts aimed at bringing peace to Palestinians.

Over half a million Israelis live in more than 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank, including East al-Quds. The settlements are considered by the international community as illegal.

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