Israel demolishes Palestinian village, leaving 73 homeless, including 41 minors. Photo: B'Tselem)
Ramallah, November 7 (RHC)-- Israeli authorities have demolished the Palestinian Bedouin village of Khirbet Humsah in the occupied West Bank, leaving 73 people homeless, including 41 minors.
One of the victims, Abd al-Ghani Awawdeh, told reporters: “The Israeli military came with jeeps and bulldozers. They ordered us to empty our homes. They only gave us 10 minutes. Obviously, that isn’t enough time to empty even a single tent. We didn’t have time to remove everything. They demolished it all, with our things inside.”
According to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, Israel leveled 18 tents and sheds that housed 11 families, as well as the village’s kitchens, toilets, livestock pens, water containers and two solar panels.
The demolition occurred on Tuesday. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh accused Israel of timing the demolition to take place when much of the world was focused on the U.S. election.
According to the United Nations, Israel has destroyed nearly 700 structures in the West Bank this year, displacing about 870 Palestinians.