70 Palestinians, including 36 kids, displaced as Israel demolishes homes in West Bank community: OCHA

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says approximately 70 Palestinians, including 36 children, have been displaced after Israeli forces demolished the Palestinian Bedouin community of Humsa al-Baqai’a in the Jordan Valley.

The UN office said in a statement that the so-called Israeli Civil Administration (ICA) has confiscated food consignments and detached structures, leaving the residents with no food and water following Wednesday's demolitions.

The demolitions have also left the villagers with no baby milk powders, clothes as well as personal hygiene products. They also have no fodder and water for their livestock.

OCHA said its representatives, members of various non-governmental organizations and diplomats tried to access Humsa al-Baqai’a on Wednesday, but Israeli forces refused to let them do so on the grounds that a military operation was underway.

UN aid agency says Israel displaced 23 Palestinians in two weeks

The OCHA says Israel forces have either demolished or seized 24 Palestinian-owned structures in the occupied territories of West Bank and Jerusalem al-Quds in a span of two weeks.

Some 11 of the structures demolished or confiscated had been provided by the international community, the UN office pointed out.

It highlighted that the Jordan Valley, which makes up 60 percent of the occupied West Bank, is classified as Area C – meaning it is under full Israeli military control.

OCHA said Israeli authorities have carried out military training in the community since 2012, and temporarily displaced local residents. The UN agency has so far recorded more than 50 such incidents.

On 23 February, Lynn Hastings, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, called on Israeli authorities to “immediately halt all further demolitions of Palestinian homes and possessions, allow the humanitarian community to provide shelter, food and water to this most vulnerable group and these people to remain in their homes,” after visiting Humsa al-Baqai’a community following a mass demolition campaign.

OCHA stressed that international humanitarian law requires an occupying power to protect the population of the territory it occupies, ensure its welfare and well-being, and respect its human rights. Any destruction of civilian property by the occupying power is prohibited as well.

Rights body: All Israeli settlers, buildings must be removed from Jabal Sabih

A right body calls on the Israeli regime to immediately implement a court order to evacuate settlers from an illegally built settlement near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian homes in the Jordan Valley are subjected to demolitions by Israeli authorities who claim they lack building permits, despite the fact that the Tel Aviv regime does not provide such permits to Palestinians.

Moreover, Israel orders Palestinians to demolish their own homes or pay the demolition price to the municipality if they refuse to tear down their houses. Palestinians as well as the international community consider Israeli demolition politics in the occupied territories illegal.

Humsa residents threatened with arrest if do not leave their lands

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported on Thursday that after evicting residents of Humsa al-Baqai’a community, the Israeli forces have threatened to arrest them if they do not leave their lands and destroyed homes, and move elsewhere.

According to the report, which quoted Mutaz Bisharat, a local official with Tubas governorate, Israeli occupation soldiers threatened the residents, who stayed on their lands despite the demolition of their homes and structures, that they would be arrested if they do not evacuate the area.

He added that the soldiers have set up roadblocks to prevent anyone from reaching that area to help the community rebuild their destroyed homes.

Israeli soldiers have transferred the community’s belongings to another area, where they also intend to force the residents to live.

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