The Israeli occupation army razed 506 Palestinian structures in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem since the start of this year, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday. 

In its report, the UN body said that 134 of total structures were knocked down in occupied Jerusalem.

Over the past two weeks, the Israeli occupation authorities has torn down 22 structures, leaving 50 Palestinians homeless and causing harm to about 200 others, according to the report.

The UN report added eight structures out of 12 razed in occupied Jerusalem were demolished by the owners themselves in order to avoid paying hefty fines and exorbitant demolition fees to the Israeli occupation authorities.

The other 10 demolished structures were located in Area C, which comprises approximately 60 per cent of the occupied West Bank and is under full Israeli control as per the 1993 Oslo accords.

Over the past few months, the Israeli occupation authorities unprecedentedly escalated the demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation very rarely issues building permits to Palestinians as it grants tens of thousands of permits to Israeli settlers living in illegal settlements built on occupied Palestinian land in stark violation of international law.