Israeli authorities on Monday demolished a four-storey residential building in occupied East Jerusalem, forcibly evicting dozens of Palestinian residents in a pre-dawn operation that left families scrambling for shelter.
Israeli bulldozers moved into the Silwan neighbourhood, near Jerusalem’s Old City, tearing down the structure after residents said their doors were broken down in the middle of the night and they were ordered to leave immediately. The building housed about 100 people, including women, children, and elderly residents.
“The demolition is a tragedy for all the residents,” said Eid Shawar, a father of five who lived in the building. “They came while we were asleep, broke down the door, and told us we could only change our clothes and take essential documents.”
With no alternative accommodation, Shawar, 38, said his family of seven would be forced to spend the night in their car.
Witnesses described scenes of distress as three bulldozers began tearing through the structure early Monday, scattering residents’ belongings across nearby streets. Israeli police sealed off surrounding roads, while security forces were deployed throughout the area and stationed on rooftops of neighbouring buildings. By midday, much of the building had been reduced to rubble.
One woman, watching as the demolition continued, cried out: “They are destroying my bedroom.”
The building, constructed on privately owned Palestinian land, had been slated for demolition for allegedly lacking a permit, according to activists.
‘Systematic policy’
Israeli NGOs Ir Amim and Bimkom said the Silwan demolition was the largest carried out in East Jerusalem so far in 2025, noting that around 100 families have lost their homes in the area this year alone.
Palestinian residents face significant challenges in obtaining building permits due to Israel’s restrictive planning regime, an issue rights groups say has fuelled longstanding tensions in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.
The Jerusalem Governorate, affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, condemned the demolition, describing it as part of a broader effort to displace Palestinians from the city.
“This demolition is part of a systematic policy aimed at forcibly removing Palestinian residents and emptying the city of its original inhabitants,” the governorate said, adding that such actions pave the way for settlement expansion.
The demolition comes a day after Israel approved plans for 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank—a move widely regarded as illegal under international law.
In response, the Jerusalem municipality said the demolition was carried out in line with a 2014 court order. In a statement to AFP, municipal authorities said the land was zoned for leisure and sports facilities, not residential use.
“The residents were granted multiple extensions over a long period and were offered various alternatives to resolve the situation, but they declined,” the municipality said.
The incident underscores deepening tensions in East Jerusalem, where demolitions, settlement expansion, and planning restrictions remain flashpoints in the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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