Israeli defence minister seeks to expand punitive home demolitions policy: Report
Israel’s Channel 7 reported that Defense Minister Israel Katz plans to present a proposal to the cabinet seeking approval to demolish the homes of Palestinians who have injured Israelis, expanding an already controversial policy.
The policy of punitive demolitions has been long criticised by human rights organisations as a form of collective punishment. Israeli officials claim it is aimed at deterring other Palestinians from planning or carrying out attacks.
Israeli forces arrest two Palestinian students in Nablus
The soldiers arrested the two students from An-Najah National University after raiding their homes in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera Arabic reported, citing local sources. The two were arrested in the village of Burin in the Nablus governorate.
Israeli forces carry out raids across the occupied West Bank
Israeli raids were reported in several cities and towns overnight. They include:
- The city of Tulkarem, where a young man was arrested in a raid on his home
- The town of Anabta, east of Tulkarem, where a 15-year-old was hit in the head with a bullet
- The city of Bethlehem
- The town of Aqaba, north of the city of Tubas
- The town of Astra, where Israeli raids prompted clashes. The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that a 15-year-old boy was wounded by live fire, while a 16-year-old was also beaten by Israeli forces.
Israeli forces launch air attacks on Jenin
The Israeli military says it carried out a drone attack on Palestinian fighters in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
Israeli raids and arrests continue in occupied West Bank
Israeli forces have arrested at least 15 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since yesterday, according to a statement by prisoners’ groups.
The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said the arrests took place across the governorates of Nablus, Salfit, Ramallah, Hebron, Tulkarem, Tubas and Jenin.
Two people killed by Israeli forces in Jenin: Palestinian ministry
The Ministry of Health says two people have been killed in Israeli attacks in the town of Sir in Jenin, the occupied West Bank. The identities of the Palestinians killed are not yet known, a ministry statement added.
Death toll in Israeli raid on Jenin rises to 4
Palestinian officials say four people have been killed in the occupied West Bank as Israeli security personnel conducted a raid on the village of Seir in the area of Jenin. Earlier, we reported that two people had been killed.
Israeli soldiers entered the village about 7am (05:00 GMT) and withdrew by the afternoon, an AFP photographer said. According to the Israeli military, the four men killed were responsible for several shootings against Israeli towns bordering the northern West Bank.
The Israeli army launched multiple raids in Jenin in November, killing at least nine people. Violence in the West Bank, particularly in the north of the territory, has soared since the Gaza war began in October last year.
