Palestinians left homeless as Israel demolishes West Bank buildings

Israeli forces demolished more than a dozen buildings in the southern West Bank on Tuesday, leaving a number of families homeless.

Soldiers destroyed 24 structures in and around the village of Khirbet Jenbah south of Hebron, including 10 funded by the European Union.

Forces arrived at around 7:00 am and carried out the demolitions, leaving 12 families temporarily homeless, Nidal Younes, head of a local village council, told AFP.

Israel has carried out a long campaign to relocate the residents of the area, which was declared a military zone by the Israeli government in the 1970s.

Human rights groups have repeatedly challenged Israel's claim to the land, arguing it is illegal to establish a military zone in occupied territory, Sarit Michaeli from the B'Tselem NGO said.

The families, many of whom are cave dwellers, say their ancestors have lived on the land since long before Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967.

An EU spokesman denounced the demolitions and said that 10 of the buildings had been constructed with funds from ECHO, the European Commission's humanitarian arm.

The EU called on Israel to change its policies in the occupied West Bank.

"The EU expects its investments in support of the Palestinian people to be protected from damage and destruction," said a spokesman, who condemned the demolitions.