Israeli forces kill child and elderly woman in West Bank amid home demolitions

A Palestinian child and an elderly woman were killed early Thursday in separate Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank, as Israeli settlers and the military demolished several Palestinian properties near Jerusalem.

Waseem Ladadwa, a member of the al-Mazraa al-Gharbiyya municipal council, told The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Haniyya Hanoun, 80, was killed after Israeli forces stormed her son’s house and assaulted her and her family members.

He said that Hanoun died after being severely beaten, noting she had no prior health conditions. He added that Israeli forces detained her grandson, Mohammad Abbas Hanoun, before leaving the town.

She was laid to rest later in the day.

In the northern West Bank, Murad Abu Sfein, 15, was killed by Israeli forces during a raid in the town of al-Yamun. He had been wounded late Wednesday night and was also detained, without clarity on the nature of his injuries.

His death was announced Thursday morning, and his body is being held by the Israeli authorities.

Local sources said Israeli forces carried out raids, arrests, house searches, and field interrogations in various parts of the West Bank, particularly the villages of Beit Rima, Deir Ghassaneh, and al-Mughayyir.

Alaraby TV reported that around 200 Israeli soldiers completely besieged al-Mughayyir before entering it.

Other reports said the Israeli army carried out house raids and evicted their residents, informing them the area would remain under surveillance until Friday morning.

The West Bank has seen a spike in Israeli violence since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, resulting in the deaths of more than a thousand Palestinians, and injuries of about 10,000 others.

Settlers demolish homes near Jerusalsme

Elsewhere on Thursday, and amid increasing violence, Jewish Israeli settlers demolished four Palestinian shacks in the Bedouin 'Hathrura community' in the Khan al-Ahmar area, east of Jerusalem.

The demolitions took place as Israeli soldiers stood by.

Four prefabricated structures were destroyed, Hassan Mlihat of the Al-Baidar Organisation for the Defence of Bedouin Rights told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

He said the shacks were used for housing and sheep herding.

Mlihat added that the settlers used bulldozers to tear them down while the Israeli army prevented residents from approaching the site.

Israeli forces also demolished two Palestinian homes west of Jerusalem, citing "illegal construction" as the reason.

An Israeli army unit accompanied by machinery and bulldozers stormed the town of Qatanna and demolished the two homes, which had been inhabited for around 20 years and were built on private land with official documentation.

The witnesses added that the homes were demolished under the pretext of being "unlicensed."

Israel usually demolishes homes of Palestinians using the excuse that they were built without permits, although Palestinians say these legal permits are extremely difficult to obtain.