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JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli bulldozers demolished three Palestinian homes and three structures used for livestock in al-Tur east of the Old City of Jerusalem on Tuesday, residents said.

They said bulldozers of the Beit El settlement municipality were escorted by Israeli forces into al-Tur, where they demolished houses belonging to the al-Zari family, leaving 23 Palestinians homeless.

The Israeli officers first destroyed the main doors of the houses and forcibly evicted residents, homeowner Khader al-Zari told Ma'an.

"Israeli forces broke the main doors, forcibly evicted us and did not allow us to take out furniture or any possessions, but instead gave their workers 30 minutes to take our possessions out of the houses," al-Zari said.

Several pieces of furniture were still inside the houses as they were demolished, he added.

Al-Zari said the houses and structures were built in the 80s, and that the family had been attempting to obtain the necessary permits and licenses from the Israeli civil administration for years.

He said the family had paid over 150,000 shekels (about $40,000) for lawyers and engineers in order to escape demolition, "but to no avail."

A spokesperson for COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry unit in charge of civil administration in the Palestinian territories, told Ma'an via email that "the 6 buildings in A-Tur were illegal and were built without the necessary permits in a zone which is forbidden for construction because of security reasons, near the seam zone."

"The decision on the demolition was taken after demolition orders were delivered and after an enforcement process was completed. We would like to note that the Supreme Court of Justice rejected the appeal submitted by the owners of some of the buildings."

The spokesperson would not comment on whether or not residents' belongings were destroyed along with the homes as al-Zari said.

Israeli forces regularly demolish Palestinian homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, usually under the pretext that the residents did not have the necessary permits.

Palestinians are rarely granted permits to build in areas under Israeli control.

According to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, Israeli bulldozers have destroyed 359 structures in the West Bank this year.