BETHLEHEM, (PIC)
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) demolished on Monday two houses in the village of al-Walaja, northwest of Bethlehem.
The head of the Al-Walaja village council, Khader Abu al-Teen, reported that the IOF stormed the village and began demolishing two under-construction houses in the nearby Khalet al-Hussein area.
He explained that both of the houses consisted of two stories and belonged to the citizens Nabil Abu al-Teen and Walid Abu al-Teen, according to WAFA news agency.
He pointed out that the IOF demolished the two houses under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Clashes also erupted in the vicinity of the houses at the time of the demolition, during which the IOF fired tear gas and stun grenades, leading to a number of suffocation cases among the protesters, while the owners of the two houses were severely beaten.
Meanwhile, the IOF handed over on Monday two orders to stop construction works in the village of Yasuf, east of Salfit, and installed an iron gate at the entrance to the village, according to local sources.
The sources reported that the IOF stormed the village and delivered two notices to stop the construction works in an under-construction house in the Nasba area east of the village.
According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, the IOF carried out 52 demolition operations last November, which affected 63 facilities, including 27 inhabited homes, 2 uninhabited, and 17 agricultural facilities among others.
Most of the demolitions were concentrated in Jerusalem, Al-Khalil, and Nablus governorates.
