Bethlehem, WEST BANK /PNN /

Israeli authorities intensified demolition and enforcement measures across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on Wednesday, carrying out demolitions and issuing stop-work and demolition orders against Palestinian homes and structures, citing the absence of Israeli-issued building permits.

In East Jerusalem, Israeli municipal authorities demolished a commercial structure in the al-Jadeira neighborhood of Jabal al-Mukabber, southeast of the city. Another Palestinian-owned home was razed in the area between Bir Nabala and Beit Hanina, northwest of Jerusalem.

In the Silwan neighborhood, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Israeli authorities ordered a Palestinian resident to remove a room built on his privately owned land.

In the Bethlehem governorate, Israeli forces issued a stop-work order against a 120-square-meter house in the town of Nahalin, west of Bethlehem. The home, which shelters a family of four, was targeted on the grounds that it had been constructed without a building permit.

Further north, in Jenin governorate, Israeli forces carried out a large-scale demolition operation in the town of Bartaa, destroying 15 Palestinian homes. Local sources said the demolished properties included multi-story residential buildings, raising concerns over the displacement of dozens of residents and significant property losses.

The demolitions come amid continued expansion of Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank. Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law, a position rejected by Israel. An estimated 750,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements and outposts throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

According to data released by the Jerusalem Governorate, Israeli authorities carried out 84 demolition and land-leveling operations in May alone. The figure included 21 cases of so-called "self-demolitions," in which Palestinian residents were compelled to demolish their own homes to avoid additional fines and demolition costs imposed by Israeli authorities.

Palestinian officials and rights groups say the demolition policy contributes to the displacement of Palestinian communities and further restricts urban development in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Israeli authorities maintain that the structures targeted were built without the required permits.