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RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – Israeli forces demolished four corrugated iron Bedouin homes in the occupied West Bank district of Ramallah on Monday, leaving 22 people homeless, locals said.

The four homes were located in the Ein Ayub area between the villages of Ras Karkar and Deir Ammar, northwest of Ramallah city.
Locals said Israeli military vehicles stormed the area from a bypass road near the homes leading to illegal Israeli settlements.

In the next half-hour, Israeli bulldozers then tore down the makeshift homes of corrugated iron, wood. and canvas.

Locals added that Israeli forces did not give the families enough time to evacuate their belongings before they destroyed the dwellings.

It was not clear whether the demolition was carried out with or without prior notice.

Under Israeli law, Palestinians are required to obtain building permits before they can build in land classified as Area C, which under the Oslo Accords falls under full Israeli control.

However, the Israeli authorities refuse the vast majority of permit requests. Because of the difficulties gaining permission, Palestinians frequently build without authorization, at the risk of having the structures demolished.

In December, the EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah demanded that all Area C demolitions be halted, but Israel has historically ignored EU requests to halt violations against Palestinians, as well as demands to stop settlement expansion.

According to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, more than 48,480 Palestinian homes and structures have been demolished by Israel since 1967.

Meanwhile, The UN Officer for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded the demolition of 501 Palestinian-owned structures in 2015, which displaced 659 people.