WEST BANK (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The Israeli authorities continue their demolition and bulldozing operations in the occupied West Bank, while forcing a citizen in 1948 occupied Palestine to demolish his home under threat.
In Jericho, Israeli bulldozers demolished a home on Tuesday morning belonging to citizen Hala Abbasi, located east of the city, under the pretext of building without a permit.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the Sama Areha area east of Jericho, accompanied by two bulldozers, and began the demolition process despite objections from the homeowners and the lack of a ruling from an Israeli court on the matter.
Sahar Barakat, a neighbor, expressed her surprise at the IOF incursion and the initiation of the demolition without giving the owners time to evacuate.
Barakat underlined that the occupation army had previously notified the homeowners of a ban on construction, and they had obtained all the necessary permits imposed by the occupation and completed all approvals. However, once they finished the construction process, the demolition took place.
In Bethlehem, IOF soldiers invaded the town of Tuqu’ southeast of Bethlehem, accompanied by bulldozers, and began demolishing a two-story residential building belonging to the brothers Osama and Taysir Hasan Musa Suleiman, with each floor covering an area of 300 square meters.
The IOF sealed off the area, preventing citizens from approaching, and ordered the homeowners to evacuate immediately.
In 1948 occupied Palestine, the Israeli authorities forced Muhammad Zahi Ighbarieh from the village of Mismas in the Wadi Ara area to demolish his home, under the threat of forced demolition and hefty fines. An Israeli court had passed a demolition verdict against the home under the pretext of “building without a permit” and notified Ighbarieh that the demolition would be carried out at any time.
Despite his efforts to appeal the decision in court, Ighbarieh’s attempts to protect the home he built in 2009 on his own land in the western part of the village, which is considered a natural extension for urban expansion due to the significant population density in the village, were unsuccessful.
Ighbarieh, a father of three children, expressed his deep sadness after being forced to demolish his home, which cost him about 1.2 million shekels, confirming that the Israeli authorities informed him that the demolition would be carried out at any moment, which would obligate him to pay additional costs if he did not demolish it himself.
The year 2024 witnessed the highest rate of Israeli violations against Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem compared to the last five years, indicating a clear escalation of Israeli occupation crimes and brutality, alongside the continuation of its aggressive policies toward Palestinians.
The Palestine Information Center documented 53,052 violations, covering all types of crimes and violations committed by the IOF and settlers, including killings, deportations, arrests, home demolitions, land bulldozing, property confiscation, and attacks on education and health sectors, in violation of all international treaties and agreements.
According to the Center, the number of homes demolished by the occupation in the West Bank and Jerusalem reached 508, in addition to hundreds of homes threatened with demolition. In the territories occupied in 1948, the Israeli authorities continued demolishing and confiscating Palestinian properties, with a total of 81 homes and properties demolished, along with dozens of homes notified of demolition under the pretext of unauthorized construction.
