Egypt condemned on Saturday Israel’s demolition of over 70 houses in a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, leaving tens of people and children homeless.

In an official statement, Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez denounced the move which saw Israeli forces razing the majority of the Bedouin village of Homsa Al-Baqia on Tuesday.

Hafez described the move as a “clear violation of international legitimacy and the resolutions of international humanitarian law.”

“Such practices exacerbate the difficult humanitarian conditions faced by the Palestinians and challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic. They also represent an obstacle to the two-state solution and chances to reach comprehensive and fair peace and accomplish stability in the region,” he said.

A UN official told Reuters that tented homes, animal shelters, latrines and solar panels were among the structures destroyed in the village last week in the largest such demolition in years.

The branch of Israel's army responsible for civilian affairs in the West Bank, COGAT, said it had destroyed structures "built illegally in a firing zone (military training area) in the Jordan Valley."

Israeli anti-occupation non-government organisation B’Tselem said “the wiping off of a whole community at once is extremely rare, and it seems like Israel was making use of the fact that everyone's attention is currently set elsewhere to move forward with this inhumane act,” in reference to the US presidential election.

Around 798 Palestinians in the West Bank have been left homeless by Israeli demolitions so far in 2020, B’Tselem said.

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