RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL

Israeli bulldozers demolished two buildings on Tuesday in occupied East Jerusalem and Ramallah in the central West Bank, local sources said.

Israeli army forces and military bulldozers stormed the town of Rafat, northwest of East Jerusalem, and razed a hall owned by a Palestinian on claims of lacking a building permit, the sources said.

In the town of Deir Quds, west of Ramallah, Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian house for a similar claim.

According to witnesses, Israeli soldiers forced residents of the house to empty their belongings on Monday ahead of the demolition.

The Israeli army has escalated its attacks in the occupied West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.

According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, an official body, Israel has carried out 1,014 demolitions across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 2023. These demolitions have affected 3,679 structures, including 1,288 inhabited homes, 244 uninhabited homes, and 962 agricultural facilities.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.