News / Palestine

Israel demolishes homes, school in West Bank

Friday, 04 March 2016 2:33 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 04 March 2016 2:32 PM ]

A Palestinian girl looking at the debris of her family home after it was demolished by Israeli regime forces in the West Bank. (©AFP Photo)

The Israeli regime forces have demolished dozens of Palestinian homes and a school in the occupied West Bank this week.

The United Nations said on Friday the demolitions took place on Wednesday in the village of Khirbet Tana, south of Nablus in the northern West Bank.

In total, 41 structures were destroyed, leaving 36 Palestinians homeless, including 11 children, the UN’s humanitarian body said in a statement.

The Israeli army regularly destroys homes it claims have been built without permission from the Israeli authorities.

Last week the European Union hit out at Israeli authorities after they demolished a school funded by the French government.

Nickolay Mladenov, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said last month the number of such demolitions has tripled on average since the start of the year.

"Since the beginning of 2016, Israel has demolished, on average, 29 Palestinian-owned structures per week, three times the weekly average for 2015," he said.

Rights groups say the demolition of Palestinian homes are in line with Israel’s expansionist aims.

This photo shows an Israeli vehicle taking solar panels from a Palestinian home demolished by Israeli bulldozers in the occupied West Bank on February 2, 2016. (AFP Photo)

The demolition of Palestinian homes and continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestine have created a major obstacle to the Middle East peace process.

More than half a million Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem (al-Quds). The UN and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as unlawful.

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