At least 73 Palestinians, mostly minors, in the West Bank have been made homeless in the single largest Israeli demolition of a Palestinian community in over a decade, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Yvonne Helle, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian, pointed out in a statement that the Israeli authorities destroyed 76 structures in the Humsa al Bqai’a Bedouin community in the north Jordan Valley on Tuesday, displacing at least 73 people, 41 of them children.

"Three-quarters of the community lost their shelters during Tuesday’s operation, making it the largest forced displacement incident in more than four years," she said. "However, by the number of destroyed structures, 76, the raid was the largest demolition in the past decade."

Helle confirmed that "the destroyed properties – including homes, animal shelters, latrines, and solar panels – were essential to, livelihoods, wellbeing, and dignity of community members, whose rights have been violated."
 

According to OCHA, so far in 2020, 689 structures have been demolished across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, more than in any full year since 2016, leaving 869 Palestinians homeless.

In the statement, Helle reminded all parties that the “extensive destruction of property and the forcible transfer of protected people in the occupied territory are grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention."
 

"Their vulnerability is further compounded by the onset of winter and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” she said, adding that some of the demolished structures had been donated as humanitarian assistance.

"The lack of Israeli-issued building permits is typically cited as a reason, even though, due to the restrictive and discriminatory planning regime, Palestinians can almost never obtain such permits," Helle underscored. "Demolitions are a key means of creating an environment designed to coerce Palestinians to leave their homes."

“While assuring that the humanitarian community stands ready to support all those who have been displaced or otherwise affected, I strongly reiterate our call to Israel to immediately halt unlawful demolitions,” she added.

Located in the Jordan Valley, Humsa Al Bqai’a is one of 38 Bedouin and herding communities partially or fully located within areas declared as “firing zones” by Israel for military training. They are some of the most vulnerable communities in the West Bank, with limited access to education and health services, and to water, sanitation and electricity infrastructure, according to OCHA.