UN Warns of Rising Home Demolitions and Displacement in West Bank
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has issued a warning regarding an increase in the demolition of Palestinian homes and properties in the Masafer Yatta area of the southern West Bank. Recent demolitions have resulted in the displacement of dozens of individuals, including children.
According to Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN, Israeli authorities demolished 20 homes and other structures in two Palestinian communities in the area last Tuesday. The demolitions also affected a water tank and solar panels, impacting essential services and property for residents. Another demolition on Wednesday displaced approximately 60 people, half of them children, from a third Palestinian community, while also affecting about 30 others remaining in the area.
OCHA reported that a significant portion of the destroyed properties had been built with support from donor countries. The Masafer Yatta area is home to around 1,200 Palestinians living in 13 communities, who are facing increasing pressure to leave. This pressure coincides with a rise in settler violence against Palestinian communities, particularly following the establishment of new settlement outposts in recent years.
Across the West Bank, OCHA stated that approximately 1,500 Palestinians have been displaced since the beginning of the year due to demolitions. An additional 2,600 people have been displaced by settler violence and related restrictions. The UN highlighted that home demolitions, violence, and movement restrictions are directly impacting Palestinian residents and their livelihoods amid ongoing tensions in the West Bank.
