Israeli army excavators demolish a Palestinian house in the village of Qalandia, south of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. AFP
Local sources reported that the building, which was demolished under the pretext of lacking a permit, had 13 apartments and housed approximately 100 people.
A large Israeli military force, accompanied by bulldozers, raided the Wadi Qaddum neighbourhood in Ras Al-Amud, sealed off the area, and surrounded the building before demolishing it, the sources said.
They added that Israeli forces assaulted men and women in the neighbourhood and detained Yasser Abu Sunaina and the minor Amr Abu Hatab near the building.
The Jerusalem Governorate called the demolition of the “Al-Waad” building in Silwan a war crime and an act of forcible displacement aimed at emptying the city of Palestinian residents.
It said demolitions that expel residents reflect an occupation policy to replace landowners with settlers.
Israeli authorities in Jerusalem routinely refuse building permits to Palestinians and demolish homes or force residents to demolish them, violating international and humanitarian law. These actions form part of systematic practices to displace Palestinians while expanding settlements in and around the city.
In a related development, Israeli forces also demolished agricultural structures in the town of Anata, northeast of Jerusalem, and bulldozed farmland in Jenin, WAFA reported.
On Monday, Israeli forces conducted raids across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, detaining dozens of Palestinians in Hebron, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Jenin, and Tulkarm.
Violence in the West Bank has intensified since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023.
At least 1,097 Palestinians have been killed and around 11,000 wounded in military operations and settler attacks, while more than 21,000 Palestinians have been arrested, according to Palestinian and UN data.
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