The Israeli occupation army has demolished 389 Palestinian structures since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the occupied West Bank, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has found.

In a report published on Friday, the UN body explained that an average of 65 Palestinian buildings was torn down by the Israeli occupation army each month, the highest average rate of demolitions in the past four years.

Through its arbitrary policy of home demolition, the Israeli occupation government have made 442 Palestinian citizens homeless between March and August, putting their lives at risk amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In August, 204 Palestinian citizens were displaced after their houses were knocked down by the Israeli occupation military.

The report noted water and sewage treatment facilities and agricultural structures were among the demolished properties, undermining the access of many citizens to their sources of livelihood and services.     

Theses demolitions, the report continued, have affected the most fragile segments of the Palestinian society and undermined the efforts being exerted to curb the spread of the coronavirus.    

The Israeli occupation authorities raze the Palestinian structures within 96 hours of handing the demolition orders, the report noted. 

In many cases, the report stressed, the Israeli occupation government force Palestinians to demolish their homes under the pretext of being built without a permit, which is almost impossible for the Palestinian population to obtain due to the tight restrictions imposed on Palestinian construction.

“The destruction of properties in the occupied territories is prohibited under international humanitarian law,” the report explained.

In addition, the demolition of Palestinian structures in the occupied West Bank “raises further concerns as it complicates the general situation in the West Bank.”