Israeli forces demolish homes, detain Palestinians in West Bank

Israeli military forces have demolished a number of Palestinian houses in the West Bank in the occupied territories.

On Monday night, six Israeli bulldozers rolled into the village of Qalandiya, located 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) north of Jerusalem al-Quds, with escort by Israeli troopers, and tore down three residential buildings as well as nine houses under construction there.

Israeli authorities had claimed the buildings had been and were being built without the required permits.

Violence broke out when villagers tried to stop the Israeli forces and hurled stones at them. Israeli forces, in return, fired rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas canisters and stun grenades to disperse the crowd.

Palestinian sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least 34 Palestinians sustained moderate injuries during the mayhem.

An Israeli non-profit organization says Israeli officials have demolished 168 Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank between January and the end of June this year, leaving 740 Palestinians homeless.

B’Tselem said on Monday that the figure is unusually high, and exceeds the number of homes demolished during the corresponding period last year. It is also higher than the annual rate of demolitions since 2006, excluding the 175 Palestinian homes that were razed in 2013.

The rights group said most of the demolitions took place in the so-called Area C, which comprises over 60 percent of the occupied West Bank and is totally run by the Israeli military.

The area is about 330,000 hectares, and is reportedly home to nearly 300,000 Palestinians. Israel, however, says only about 50,000 Palestinians are residing there.

Israeli forces arrest several Palestinians

Meanwhile, Israeli military forces have arrested several Palestinians during separate overnight operations across the occupied West Bank.

Local sources, speaking anonymously, said Israeli forces raided the town of Beit Fajjar, located eight kilometers (4.9 miles) south of Bethlehem, early on Tuesday, and broke into dozens of homes before detaining an unspecified number of Palestinians.

Elsewhere, in the al-Am’ari refugee camp, located two kilometers (1.2 miles) south of the town of al-Bireh in the central West Bank, three Palestinians were injured when Israeli forces raided a number of houses and ransacked them.

Additionally, Israeli forces stormed several houses in Bil’in Village, located 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) west of Ramallah, engaging in clashes with local residents. No reports of injuries and arrests were available.

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

Palestinians say the Tel Aviv regime seeks to change the status quo of the sacred site.

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

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