Israel Razes Family Home Of 5 Jailed Palestine Brothers

The Israeli army on Saturday demolished a residential building owned by a Palestinian woman whose five sons have all been imprisoned by Israel for life.



The building, owned by Latifa Abu Hmeid, is located in the Amari refugee camp near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.



According to an Anadolu Agency reporter based in the area, an Israeli military force raided the camp early Saturday, surrounding the building before bringing it down in a controlled demolition.



Before razing the four-story structure, the army evicted dozens of journalists and solidarity activists who had been inside the building in a bid to prevent its destruction.



Following the demolition, confrontations broke out between local residents and Israeli troops, with the latter using teargas, rubber bullets and live ammunition to disperse the crowds.



Abu Hmeid's five sons are all currently incarcerated in Israeli prisons.



One of them, Islam, was convicted of throwing a rock at a soldier during an Israeli army raid in May in the Amari refugee camp, which allegedly led to the latter's death.



Abu Hmeid also had a sixth son, who was shot dead by Israeli army troops in 1994.



Voicing defiance, Abu Hmeid told Anadolu Agency that the building's destruction "will not break our will", vowing to rebuild the structure "as soon as possible".



"All my sons have been either martyred or incarcerated, and that didn't break me," she said, adding: "This is the third time they've destroyed my home."



In recent days, at least five Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces -- and dozens more injured -- across the occupied West Bank.



On Friday, the Palestinian Prisoners' Association said the Israeli army had detained some 100 Palestinians throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem since dawn Thursday. -