Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank have stormed a Palestinian village, displacing 73 children – in the largest forced displacement in years.
Excavators exited by military vehicles approached Khirbet Hamsa and flattened or smashed tents, shawls, animal shelters, toilets and solar panels.
“These are some of the most vulnerable communities in the West Bank,” said Wovenen Hale, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator. For the occupied Palestinian territory.
Three-quarters of the community lost their shelters during Tuesday’s operation, she said, making it the largest forced displacement incident in more than four years. However, by the number of 76 structures destroyed structures, the raid was the largest demolition in the last decade, he added.
On Wednesday, the families of the village were seen bursting from their wrecked belongings in the wind, the first rain of the year arriving the same day. The UN published a photo of a bed and couch in the open desert.
The village is one of many Bedouin and sheep-herding communities in the Jordan Valley area located within the Israeli-declared military training “firing zone”, and despite being in Palestinian territories, people there often face demolition for building without Israeli permission.
“Palestinians can almost never get such permits,” Haley said. Accusing Israel of “serious violations” of international law, he said “demolition is the main tool to create an environment created to force Palestinians to leave their homes.”
About 700 buildings have been demolished in the West Bank and East Jerusalem so far in 2020, he said, adding that more than 868 Palestinians have been made homeless in any year since 2016.
Israel’s civil administration, the organization that runs the business, said it carried out “enforcement activity” against seven illegally erected tents and eight pens in a firing range located in the Jordan Valley.
The figures contradict UN statements and a non-site report by Israel’s leading human rights group, B. Taslem, stating that forces used 18 tents and 11 households, 29 tents and sheds as livestock enclosures, three storage sheds, nine tents. Is. Used as food and water trough for kitchen, 10 portable toilets, 10 livestock pans, 23 water containers, two solar panels and livestock.
Israeli forces destroyed more than 30 tons of food for livestock and seized a vehicle and two tractors belonging to three residents.
“As part of its efforts to occupy more and more Palestinian Palestinian land, Israel regularly demolishes Palestinian homes and property,” said Amit Gilutz, a spokesman for B’Slam.
“But it is very rare to destroy an entire community at once, and it seems that Israel is using the fact that everyone’s attention is currently focused elsewhere to move forward with this inhumane act,” he said. Said with regard to the election. .
Israel occupied the West Bank from Jordanian forces in 1967 and continued to control and occupy the area, although the Palestinians have limited self-government to small scattered.
The country’s hardline Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he intends to annex large parts of the occupied Palestinian territories, including the Jordan Valley, although the plan was temporarily “suspended” as part of a deal with the United Arab Emirates.
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