On Wednesday, Israeli soldiers carried out the demolition of four residences, a tent, and two facilities in the Masafer Yatta area, located south of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank’s southern part.
Eyewitnesses said the army invaded the Umm al-Kheir community in Masafer Yatta, where they razed the homes, tent, and two caravans belonging to Yasser al-Hathalin and his sons Adi, Anees, and Ali, resulting in the displacement of 30 family members.
The demolitions also resulted in the destruction of water networks, water tanks, and solar energy systems.
It is important to note that approximately two months ago, the army demolished a house, a tent, and a barracks belonging to the Al-Hathalin family, as part of a broader demolition campaign that impacted the Umm Al-Khair community, affecting 11 homes and several tents and facilities.
Recently, the Israeli occupation forces have significantly intensified their demolition activities in Masafer Yatta, aligning with a colonial agenda pursued by the extreme Israeli right, which aims to displace local residents to facilitate colonial expansion.
Since the onset of the genocide of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in October 2023, there has been a parallel increase in the destruction of homes, buildings, and facilities in the Strip, alongside a rise in home demolitions, particularly in the so-called Area C, which comprises about 60% of the West Bank.
In July alone, the occupation authorities carried out 98 demolition attacks, impacting 135 facilities, including 62 inhabited homes, 14 uninhabited ones, and 12 agricultural structures.
Additionally, the Israel occupation authorities issued demolition notices for 16 other homes and facilities across the West Bank, as reported by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission.
On Wednesday morning, illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers stole at least 200 sheep from Palestinian Bedouins in the Ras Al-Awja community, north of Jericho, in the northeastern West Bank.
Also, Israeli bulldozers demolished five Palestinian homes, a gas station, and a carwash facility in the At-Tour town, located to the east of occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank.
Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and various United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under International Law.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory.”
