Court approves demolition of Gaza homes

Israel’s Supreme Court today rejected a petition calling for the army to stop demolishing Palestinian homes along the Gaza-Egypt border.

The decision will pave the way for the army to expand the area it controls along the flashpoint boundary.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza filed a petition to save 13 houses along the border from being demolished. According to a United Nations agency, Israeli forces demolished nearly 100 Palestinian homes during an intense three-day army operation in the area last week.

The operation followed a Palestinian bombing on Wednesday that killed five Israeli soldiers.

Israeli media reported the army was demolishing Palestinian homes – and sought to destroy the 13 along the border – to expand an Israeli-controlled road running along the border.

Palestinian lawyer Tamim Younis said the Supreme Court would now be watching activities along the border, so he was still happy with the results.