Israeli forces demolish house near Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM: Israeli occupation forces Monday demolished a house in the city of Beit Jala, west of Bethlehem. Abdullah Al-Lahham told WAFA correspondent that large forces of the occupation army stormed Bir Onah area northeast of Beit Jala, and demolished his family's one-story house with an area of ??150 square meters, for the second time. He pointed out that the occupation forces prevented them from removing some of the belongings from inside the house, before proceeding to demolish it. Since the beginning of the Israeli comprehensive aggression against Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in October 2023, and in parallel with the unprecedented destruction of homes, buildings and facilities in the Strip, the demolition of citizens' homes has escalated, especially in the so-called Area C, which constitutes about 60% of the area of ??the West Bank. During July, the occupation authorities carried out 98 demolition operations, affecting 135 facilities, including 62 inhabited homes, 14 uninhab ited ones, and 12 agricultural facilities. They also issued notifications including orders of the demolition against 16 other homes and facilities in the West Bank governorates, according to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission. Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA