Israeli army demolishes 5 Palestinian homes, farm structure in occupied West Bank

RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL

The Israeli army on Monday demolished five Palestinian homes and an agricultural shed across the occupied West Bank on claims of lacking building permits, witnesses said.

Israeli forces raided the town of al-Funduq, east of Qalqilya, and demolished two two-story houses, citing that they were built without permits in areas classified as “C” under the Oslo Accords signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), witnesses told Anadolu.

In Jericho, Israeli forces also demolished two homes in the village of Marj Ghazal, citing the same reason.

Troops razed another house in the town of Furush Beit Dajan, east of Nablus, after evacuating its residents, according to witnesses.

In the town of Deir Ballut, west of Salfit, Israeli bulldozers demolished an agricultural shed, saying it was constructed without a permit.

The 1995 Oslo II Accord divided the West Bank into three administrative areas: Area A under full Palestinian control; Area B under Palestinian civil administration and Israeli security control; and Area C under full Israeli civil and security control, which covers about 61 percent of the West Bank.

Palestinians say Israel rarely grants building permits in Area C, effectively preventing construction or land development.

According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, 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.

Authorities said that more than 1,057 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank, 10,300 wounded, and more than 20,000 arrested, including 1,600 children, since the Israeli onslaught in the Gaza Strip began two years ago.

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.