Israel has demolished several Palestinian buildings in the occupied West Bank.
Bulldozers, tightly guarded by the regime’s soldiers, intruded into a neighborhood in the city of al-Khalil on Tuesday morning.
Israel routinely demolishes Palestinian houses in the West Bank and East al-Quds. The regime claims the structures have been built without “permits,” which are almost impossible to obtain.
Israel sometimes orders Palestinian owners to demolish their own houses or pay the costs of the demolition.
The regime also regularly destroys the homes of Palestinians it blames for attacks on Israeli settlers, in an act of collective punishment condemned by human rights activists.
Israel recently carried out violent raids throughout the West Bank, targeting several cities, including Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Tulkarm. More than 20 Palestinians were abducted.
Israel’s increased crackdown on Palestinians in the West Bank has sparked more reactions from those living under occupation. There were reports of an anti-Israel shooting incident in western Nablus, which reportedly injured at least three Israeli settlers.
More than 700,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and al-Quds.
All the settlements are illegal under international law.
The United Nations Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.