Israeli forces destroyed the homes of four Palestinians suspected of involvement in the killing of a former Israeli soldier.
The early morning raid on the homes in the town of Beit Kahil was met with resistance by the town's residents. Israeli forces routinely destroy the homes of Palestinians who are suspected of committing crimes against Israelis, even while the suspects await their day in court.
A U.N. Special Committee has cited these types of collective punishment contributes to the rapid deterioration of the human rights and humanitarian situation across the occupied territories.
Approximately 50 people lived in the four demolished homes. At least 140 Palestinian homes have been demolished in occupied East Jerusalem this year alone.
Aref Asafrah, the father of one of the suspected killers, says he and his ten children are now homeless.
Israel says it carries out home demolitions as a deterrent against future Palestinian attackers.
Israeli authorities demolish a Palestinian owned house in east Jerusalem, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019. Jerusalem's municipality has carried out the court-ordered demolition of what it said was an illegally built Palestinian home in the city's eastern sector. Jerusalem's Palestinian population has long complained that it faces discriminatory housing policies that favor Jews. They say it is virtually impossible to get a building permit and have no choice but to build without them.
One of the military bulldozers was also involved in a fatal crash which took the life of 54-year-old Mohammed Nassar Al-Nawaja, and injured his son while they were driving to work. It isn’t clear who was at fault.