On Tuesday 22nd January, a local source said that Israeli forces handed Palestinians demolition notices for three houses and a shed in the town of Ithna, west of Hebron. An expert on settlements in the Hebron area, Abdul Hadi Hantash, told Palestinian official news agency WAFA that the homes and shed are located in area C, which is under full Israeli control. The army claimed they were built without permit. He said that the Israeli military does not want to see any Palestinian presence in this area and therefore it is following a policy of ethnic cleansing.