The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday that the Israeli authorities have demolished 506 Palestinian buildings in the West Bank and Jerusalem since the start of 2020 under the pretext of unauthorized construction.

The OCHA report stated that among the 506 demolished buildings, 134 buildings were in Jerusalem.

Moreover, the report underscored that the authorities demolished or confiscated 22 Palestinians’ buildings during the past two weeks, under the pretext of the lack of building permits, which resulted in the displacement of 50 Palestinians and damage to about 200 others.

"12 demolitions were recorded, eight of which were demolished by the owners of the buildings themselves in Jerusalem to avoid further fines and fees. The other ten demolished buildings are located in Area C which is around 60% of the West Bank, and is under full Israeli control," it added.

Over the past few months, the Israeli authorities unprecedentedly escalated the demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Israel justifies the demolition of Palestinian homes by saying that they lack building permits, despite the fact that Israel very rarely issues such permits to Palestinians. However, it issues thousands of permits to the Israeli settlers.