A Palestinian man was killed on Thursday after his car was hit by an Israeli military bulldozer as it demolished Palestinian homes in the town of Beit Kahil in the southern West Bank.

They belonged to four Palestinians who had been detained by Israel and accused of killing a 19-year-old former Israeli soldier in the Gush Etzion area of Israeli settlements in the West Bank in August. The PalTimes news organization shared images of the destroyed homes on their Twitter account.

Rateb Jabbour, a coordinator for the Palestinian Popular Resistance Committees told The New Arab’s Arabic-language service that the man who was killed was Mohammed Nassar Al-Nawaja, aged 54-years-old.



He was on his way to work with his son when the vehicle was hit by the bulldozer. His son was also injured in the collision.

Comment: Israel just bulldozed two basic principles for peace

The Israeli army raided the town of Beit Kahil early this morning to demolish the Palestinian houses. House demolition and other forms of collective punishment are frequently used by Israel against Palestinian families in violation of international law.

The head of the Beit Kahil municipality, Youssef Asafra, told The New Arab's Arabic service, "Israeli occupation forces stormed Beit Kahil early this morning, accompanied by military bulldozers.



They demolished the homes of the prisoners they detained - Yousef Zahour, Qasem Asafra and his brother Ahmed, and their cousin Nasir Asafra, who were accused of the Gush Etzion operation".



Two weeks ago, the Israeli army informed the families of the four detainees that their houses would be demolished and told them to leave. Approximately 50 people lived in the demolished homes.



Youssef Asafra added that residents of the town tried to stop the Israeli army from demolishing the houses, and that clashes occured.



The Israeli army used tear gas against the protesting residents resulting in several injuries. The army prevented Palestinian ambulances from entering Beit Kahil to attend to the injured.

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