IOF demolished 6 prisoners families' houses since beginning of 2022

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The Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies said that the Israeli occupation authorities continue their psychological and economic war against prisoners and their families by adopting a policy of demolishing homes and displacing their residents.

The center pointed out that these Israeli practices against Palestinians constitute a war crime.  

Most importantly, the center explained that since the beginning of this year, the Israeli occupation has escalated the policy of demolishing the homes of the families of prisoners.

It highlighted that the occupation demolished six homes, the majority of which are in the city of Jenin, a number equivalent to the total number of houses demolished in 2021.

Occupation escalates policy of collective punishment

The director of the center, Riad Al-Ashqar, said that the occupation authorities escalated in recent years the policy of collective punishment against the families of the prisoners by demolishing their homes, with the aim of imposing more losses and punishing Palestinian youths or their affiliation to the resistance.

Al-Ashqar mentioned that the prisoners whose families’ homes were demolished this year are Youssef Assi and Yahya Merhi in the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan near the city of Salfit.

Last March, the center said the occupation authorities demolished the homes of the prisoners Mohammad Youssef Jaradat and Ghaith Ahmad Jaradat in the town of Al-Silah Al-Harithiya in Jenin.

Last May, the occupation authorities blew up the house of Ghaith's brother Omar, following his conviction for carrying out an operation in Burqa, west of Nablus, during which an Israeli settler was killed in December 2021. 

Similarly, the IOF blew up the house of prisoner Mahmoud Jaradat in Al-Silah Al-Harithiya after he was accused of carrying out an operation in "Homesh", which led to the killing of a female settler and the injury of others.

An apartheid colonial regime

Al-Ashqar accused the Israeli occupation of being a racist colonial regime that practices all measures of abuse and revenge and legitimizes the policy of collective punishment by decisions instructed by the Israeli Knesset and its judicial authority against Palestinians in general and prisoners in particular.

The director of the Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies considered the demolition of the prisoners' families' homes a serious violation of international norms and laws and a violation of the provisions of Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding the protection of civilians in times of war, adding that the occupation is punishing civilians who have not been convicted of any act of resistance.

Al-Ashqar called on all international institutions to break their silence that encourages the occupation to commit more crimes, and urgently intervene to stop the policy of collective punishment against the families of the prisoners.