Israel issues demolition of Palestinian clinic in midst of pandemic

The coronavirus is still raging in Palestine, with hundreds of new cases of the virus being reported every day, and a rising death count to boot. 

In the past 24 hours, the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 660 new cases of the coronavirus, and 10 COVID-19 related deaths in the occupied West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. 

Despite reports for weeks from Palestinian officials that COVID-19 vaccine doses could be arriving any day now, Palestinian citizens have still yet to see those promises materialize. 

And as Israel continues to deny responsibility for inoculating the Palestinian population in the occupied Palestinian territory, the prospect of getting a vaccine any time soon still seems far out of reach. 

All the while, Israel has continued its campaign of home demolitions in the West Bank, targeting homes, agricultural structures, and even clinics. 

Local Palestinian media reported this week that on Monday Israeli forces issued a slew of demolition orders to the Palestinian village of Zanouta in the Hebron district of the southern West Bank.

Among the buildings ordered to be demolished, according to the Palestinian Authority-affiliated Wafa News agency, were several dwellings in the village, the village council building, and local health clinic run by the MOH. 

Palestinian Minister of Health Mai al-Kaila released a statement on Tuesday calling on international human rights organizations and agencies like as the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene and stop the demolition of the clinic and other buildings in Zanouta. 

“These measures by the occupying authorities are in clear violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and in violation of international accords and conventions, which require the international community to intervene and protect international law,” al-Kaila said.

The statement emphasized that the clinic serves all residents of Zanouta, “who are now under threat of displacement and loss of their shelters.”

Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes and structures has remained unhindered throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, putting thousands of Palestinians at increased risk due to homelessness and displacement. 

According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israel has already demolished 37 Palestinian structures since the beginning of the year, resulting in the displacement of 44 Palestinians. 

In 2020, Israel demolished at least 847 Palestinian homes and structures, according to UN OCHA, and displaced over 1,000 Palestinians, during some of the worst months of the pandemic. 

The period from March 2020 until August 2020 saw some of the highest rates of demolitions in the four years prior, with a monthly average of some 65 demolitions. Among the structures demolished were hygiene or sanitation assets, and structures used for agriculture. Many of the structures, the UN OCHA noted, were given as humanitarian aid to the communities. 

“The global pandemic has increased the needs and vulnerabilities of Palestinians, who are already trapped in the abnormality of prolonged military occupation. Unlawful demolitions exacerbate these vulnerabilities and must stop immediately,” UN OCHA said in a statement

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