Israel demolishes 16 Palestinian structures in Shuafat camp

Israeli occupation forces demolished 16 Palestinian structures in the Shuafat refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem this morning, Al Jazeera reported.

The structures are commercial shops that constitute the main source of income for some 60 Palestinian families. The demolition took place under the pretext that they lacked the impossible to obtain Israeli issued building permits. After the occupation forces notified the owners of over 20 shops yesterday of their intention to demolish, Palestinian owners evacuated their stores last night to minimise their losses.

READ: Jerusalem’s mayor raids Shuafat refugee camp

Since the beginning of 2018, the UN OCHA has documented 125 Palestinian owned structures demolished in occupied East Jerusalem.

This incident is believed to be the largest demolition operation by the occupation authorities since the establishment of the camp by UNRWA in 1965. Shuafat refugee camp is located on the West Bank side of the Separation Wall and is home to some 24,000 Palestinians.

Occupation authorities are expanding the illegal Israeli settlement, Pisgat Zeev, located near Shuafat. Earlier this year, more than 1,000 settlement units were approved for construction in Pisgat Zeev.