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News in Brief

In Israel’s largest forced-displacement action in 10 years, its forces razed the occupied West Bank village of Khirbet Humsa on 5 November, destroying over 75 structures, including tents, animal sheds and solar panels.

41 children were left homeless, along with 32 adults.

B’Tselem reported that Israeli forces also destroyed over 30 tonnes of food for livestock and confiscated a vehicle and two tractors. The Israeli human rights group told the Guardian: ‘As part of its efforts to take over more and more Palestinian land, Israel routinely demolishes Palestinian homes and property.’

Israeli authorities said they had removed illegal structures in an army firing zone. The structures were ‘illegal’ because Palestinians are routinely denied building permits. Almost a fifth of the West Bank has been seized – illegally – for Israeli army firing zones.

According to the United Nations office of the coordinator for humanitarian affairs, the destruction of Khirbet Humsa was a war crime: ‘Home and property demolitions belonging to a protected population under occupation by an occupying power are a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention.’

Nearly 700 structures have been demolished across the West Bank and East Jerusalem so far in 2020, leaving 869 Palestinians homeless.

www.btselem.org