UN: Over 1,000 Palestinians displaced by Israel in 2016 to date

Israeli authorities have displaced more than 1,000 Palestinians in 2016 to date, new figures reveal.

By August 8, Israeli forces had demolished 726 structures in the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on the grounds they lacked a ‘permit’ that is almost impossible to obtain. The demolitions have displaced 1,020 Palestinians.

The equivalent figures for all of 2015 were 531 structures demolished, and 688 displaced.

The data is included in UN OCHA’s latest report, according to which there were 14 separate incidents in the week August 2-8 when “Israeli authorities destroyed, forced owners to destroy, or confiscated 42 structures for lack of building permits, displacing 30 people and otherwise affecting over 1,200.”

UN OCHA notes that “twelve of the targeted structures had been previously provided as humanitarian assistance, including emergency shelters, animal sheds, latrines, a community centre, and a water connection.”

Meanwhile, the agency also records that since the beginning of 2016, Israeli occupation forces “have demolished or sealed on punitive grounds 21 homes, displacing a total of 116 people.”