Israeli forces demolish building in Shuafat refugee camp and homes in northern West Bank

This morning, Israeli forces affiliated with the Jerusalem municipality demolished the under-construction Sakina building, in the Shuafat refugee camp, east of Jerusalem, under the pretext of being built without a permit, according to what was reported by the Jerusalem Governorate of the Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian News Agency, Wafa, said that the demolition took place without any violations or prior warnings.

The Israeli authorities had distributed hundreds of demolition notices last April, under the pretext of building without a permit, in addition to summons to meet the investigation unit in the Jerusalem Municipality, according to Wafa.

The Israeli army also demolished, at dawn today, two homes for the Younis Haylan family and the family of the murdered Muhammad Souf, in the villages of Hajjah and Haris in the northern occupied West Bank.

Younes Heilan, who has been detained since October of last year, carried out a stabbing attack in the hotel town, east of Qalqilya. And led to the death of an Israeli settler.

As for the young man, Muhammad Souf, who was shot dead by the Israeli army last November, he was accused of carrying out a stabbing attack that killed three Israelis in the Ariel settlement.

The Israeli army forces usually demolish the homes of Palestinians who carry out attacks that kill Israeli settlers, which human rights organizations criticize as “collective punishment”.

Today, the Israeli forces arrested 16 citizens from the occupied West Bank, most of them from Hebron.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it called the continued violations of the Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories, the continuation of the aggression and siege on the Gaza Strip, and the deepening of settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry held the Israeli government responsible for the consequences of what it described as “continuous aggression” against the Palestinians, and its threats to detonate the conflict arena and the entire region.

The statement stated that the Israeli violations amount to “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”