On Tuesday, March 8, 2022, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) demolished two Palestinian-owned homes in Silat al-Harithiya village in western Jenin, to the north of the West Bank.
A large number of Israeli military and border soldiers aboard 150 vehicles, including bulldozers, stormed the village and raided two homes belonging to the prisoner Muhammad Jaradat, and the two brothers Omar and Ghaith Jaradat.
Following the demolition process, violent clashes broke out between Israeli troops and local youths in the village.
Medical sources said that eight young men suffered from different injuries and many others from their exposure to tear gas during the events.
On December 20, 2021, the Israeli army notified families of five prisoners, including two brothers, from the village of its intent to demolish their four homes as a mass punitive measure against them after their relatives were accused of carrying out anti-occupation attacks.
Israel’s policy of destroying the homes of Palestinians suspected of attacks is a form of collective punishment, which is illegal under international law and has been condemned as such by human rights organisations.
In 2021, Israel demolished or confiscated 862 Palestinian-owned homes in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem.
