Israeli occupation authorities Tuesday handed a number of Palestinian locals in the village of Susiya to the south of Hebron, notices to demolish their private-owned residential structures, according to a local official.

Head of Susiya village council, Jehad Nawaj’a, informed WAFA that Israeli soldiers, accompanied by staff from the so-called Israeli civil administration, stormed the village and handed a number of locals notices to demolish their residential structures, including tents and sheds.

The official noted that these Israeli measures aim to force Palestinian locals to leave their land in order to seize it for the benefit of expanding the Israeli settlement of Susiya, built illegally on Palestinian-owned land.

According to the Palestine News Network, “over 700 Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli demolitions in the West Bank [since the beginning of 2016].”

“This figure is approaching the total number of displaced for all of 2015, said Lance Bartholomeusz, Director of UNRWA Operations in the West Bank, who said that he was “appalled” by the “unjustifiable” demolitions, which are in violation of international law.”

“As the UN has said repeatedly, these demolitions must stop,” said UNRWA.

Source: WAFA