The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the Israeli authorities demolished or seized 21 Palestinian structures including homes during the past two weeks in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
In its recent biweekly report on Israeli violations OCHA explained that the demolition measures were carried out during the period March 22 – April 4 2022 at the pretext that the owners had no Israeli-issued building permits.
No displacement was reported but the livelihoods of about 115 people including 44 children were affected by those demolitions according to its report.
The majority of the structures 13 were reportedly demolished in one single incident in Tulkarem City and two others were in the herding community of Ras at-Tin (Ramallah) which was already declared by the Israeli occupation army as a ‘firing zone’ for military training. The remaining six structures were razed in Jerusalem Jericho al-Khalil (Hebron) and Bethlehem provinces.
During these two weeks OCHA said that 441 Palestinians including 84 children were injured by Israeli forces across the West Bank more than twice as many as in the previous reporting period.
Since the beginning of Ramadan on April 2 Israeli forces have intensified their presence in and around the Old City of Jerusalem including outside the Damascus Gate (Bab al-Amud) where Palestinians gather after breaking their fast OCHA pointed out in its report.
Jewish settlers also injured five Palestinians and damaged Palestinian property in 35 incidents — which represents a 75 per cent increase in the settler attacks compared with the previous reporting period.
In besieged Gaza on at least 27 occasions Israeli forces opened fire near Israel’s perimeter fence or off the coast presumably to enforce access restrictions. While nobody was injured farmers and fishers were forced out of their work areas the report noted.
