JERUSALEM 

Israeli army forces demolished two Palestinian facilities northwest of occupied East Jerusalem on Monday, a local official said.

“Israeli forces razed two facilities that contained a pool and gymnasium in the town of Rafat for lack of a building permit,” municipal chief Sadeq Jaber told Anadolu.

He said the two structures had been built a couple of years ago.

“Israeli authorities refused to grant them the needed permits on the ground that they were built in Area C,” Jaber said, adding that some 25 structures face demolition orders in the village.

"Almost 80% of the village's lands are classified in Area C, where the occupation bans construction, forcing residents to build in the remaining area,” he said.

Israel widely uses the pretext of the lack of construction permits to demolish Palestinian homes, especially in Area C in the occupied West Bank, which constitutes around 60% of its space.

Under the 1995 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was divided into three portions – Area A, B, and C.

Area C is under Israel’s administrative and security control until a final status agreement is reached with the Palestinians.

According to the official Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, the Israeli authorities have demolished since Oct. 7 last year over 500 homes and facilities across the occupied territory.

Tension has been running high in the West Bank due to Israel’s brutal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 43,800 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last year.

At least 783 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,300 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar