By Middle East Correspondent
LONDON, (The Muslim News): Israeli forces demolished three homes and an agricultural structure in the West Bank town of Beit Liqya on Tuesday, witnesses told Anadolu Agency. Bulldozers tore through the buildings, which Israeli authorities said were constructed without permits. The demolitions occurred on the seventh day of Ramadan, prompting criticism from residents who said Israel ignored the significance of the fasting month.
“Israeli troops entered the town with bulldozers and tore down the buildings,” a witness told Anadolu, citing the lack of permits.
The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said Israel carried out 59 demolitions in January, affecting 126 structures, including 77 inhabited homes, and issued 40 demolition notices, mostly in Hebron governorate.
Violence in the West Bank has surged since the Gaza war began in October 2023, with more than 1,116 Palestinians killed, roughly 11,500 wounded, and around 22,000 arrested, according to Palestinian figures. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Winter storm in Gaza flooding tents sheltering displaced Palestinians
Heavy rains also battered Gaza on Tuesday, flooding tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in the first winter storm of Ramadan. Gaza’s Civil Defense said crews received multiple distress calls, particularly from al-Mawasi west of Khan Younis, where families were evacuated after tents were submerged. Witnesses said tents in al-Rimal, near Gaza City’s port, were inundated, with residents posting videos on social media showing extensive damage. Meteorologist Laith Al-Alami said on Facebook the rain and falling temperatures were expected to ease only by Tuesday evening.
Since December, repeated winter storms have damaged tens of thousands of tents and weakened buildings already hit by Israeli strikes, killing dozens and causing deaths from extreme cold. About 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents remain displaced. Despite a US-brokered ceasefire on October 10, 2025, living conditions have not improved, with Israel continuing to block aid shipments, including tents and mobile homes.
In the northern West Bank, Israeli forces raided Eastern Lubban, south of Nablus, and Silwad, east of Ramallah. Local official Yaqub Oweis said troops entered Eastern Lubban around midnight, searched homes, damaged property, and arrested several young men.
“They seated us all, searched the house and photographed us to check our identities. Two soldiers went down to the kitchen to search it,” resident Asma al-Aboushi told Anadolu. She added: “They then covered their faces with masks and started eating from underneath them, looking at us to see who was paying attention. They took our suhoor and left the house in disarray.”
The Palestinian Prisoner Society said more than 100 Palestinians have been arrested since Ramadan began.
Palestinian data shows over 9,300 are held in Israeli jails, including 66 women and 350 children.
Three Palestinians were wounded by Israeli gunfire east of Gaza City on Monday; Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital described one case as serious. Eyewitnesses reported fire toward homes and tents, naval targeting of fishing boats, and artillery shelling in Rafah, Bureij refugee camp, and Beit Lahia. Gaza’s Health Ministry said 615 Palestinians have been killed and 1,651 injured in ceasefire violations since October 2023.
UK & Germany response to US Ambassador to Israel’s claims land from Nile Euphrates
Germany rejected US ambassador Mike Huckabee’s claims that Israel has a biblical right to land from the Nile to the Euphrates. “The West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem are the starting point for the future Palestinian state, and that is the basis from which we proceed,” spokesperson Kathrin Deschauer said. Arab states condemned Huckabee’s remarks as “absurd and provocative.”
However, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Spokesperson did not want to comment on the Ambassador’s claim. He told The Muslim News, “I’m not going to comment on comments from individuals from the US.” He then gave UK’s position on Gaza and the conflict there. “We welcome the commitment to move to phase 2 of the peace plan. Our long-established position is that it’s critical to build momentum to sustain the ceasefire, and also that all parties must live up to their commitments under President Trump’s 20-point peace plan.”
Israel attacks Lebanon’s army’s monitoring post
In southern Lebanon, the army said Israeli fire targeted a newly established monitoring post near Sarda in the Marjayoun district. Troops were reinforced after a low-flying Israeli drone issued warnings aimed at forcing them to withdraw. The army said it is coordinating with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the ceasefire oversight committee. The attack adds to repeated Israeli violations of the November 2024 ceasefire, which have killed and wounded hundreds of Lebanese and left five hilltops still under Israeli occupation.
[Photo: A boy walks on a muddy road as hundreds of tents in the Bureij Refugee Camp were flooded, worsening the conditions for displaced Palestinians already living under harsh humanitarian circumstances in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on February 24, 2026. Heavy rains in the Gaza Strip, where the majority of homes have been destroyed due to Israeli attacks, submerged numerous tents and created muddy roads. Photojournalist: Moiz Salhi/AA]
