Occupation forces two Jerusalemite families to demolish 3 homes in Silwan and Beit Hanina

Israeli occupation authorities forced two Palestinian families in occupied Jerusalem to self-demolish three homes in Silwan and Beit Hanina, under the pretext of building without permits. The occupation authorities impose severe restrictions on building permits for Palestinians in Jerusalem, leading some to build without permits and putting their homes at risk of demolition.

On Monday, Israeli occupation authorities forced two Palestinian families in occupied Jerusalem to self-demolish three homes in the neighborhoods of Silwan and Beit Hanina, under the pretext of building without permits, amid restrictions on Palestinian construction in the city. The Jerusalem Governorate stated in a press release that Jerusalemite Hani Salaymeh began evacuating his home and his father's home in the Wadi Qaddum neighborhood of Silwan, ahead of their demolition pursuant to orders from the occupation authorities. It noted that Salaymeh's home is 100 square meters, built in 2002, and houses him, his wife, and four children, while his parents' home is 60 square meters. In the Ashqariyya neighborhood of Beit Hanina, Jerusalemite Alaa Essam al-Rajabi demolished his own home after receiving a demolition order from the occupation municipality in Jerusalem. The home is about 60 square meters, built in 2017, and al-Rajabi married about a year ago and is expecting a child. The occupation authorities force Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem to self-demolish their homes to avoid the heavy fines and costs imposed by the occupation municipality if it carries out the demolitions with its own machinery. The occupation authorities impose severe restrictions on granting building permits to Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem, leading some to build without permits and making their homes vulnerable to demolition, according to Palestinian human rights organizations. In this context, a report by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, issued in October 2026, citing the Commission of Resistance to the Wall and Settlements, stated that occupation authorities carried out 341 demolition operations during the first half of 2026, affecting 740 Palestinian structures. The targeted structures included occupied residential units and others under construction, as well as commercial and agricultural facilities and livelihoods, with the pretext of building without permits being the stated justification for the demolitions.