Middle East

Israel demolishes 2 Palestinian houses in occupied East Jerusalem

Homes in Silwan neighborhood razed over permit issues as rights groups cite restrictive building policies

Abdel Raouf Arnaout  | 31.03.2026 - Update : 31.03.2026
Israel demolishes 2 Palestinian houses in occupied East Jerusalem Israeli soldiers raid the Kabr Hulwa area and demolished a five-story building under construction between the towns of Dar Salah and al-Shawawra, claiming it was unauthorized in Bethlehem, West Bank on August 6, 2025. Since launching its offensive on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, Israel has intensified arrests, raids, and attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Israeli authorities demolished two Palestinian houses in the al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday, citing construction without permits.

Police forces entered Silwan, accompanied by Jerusalem municipal crews, to carry out the demolitions, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center said on Telegram that the municipality demolished two homes belonging to Fayez Rweidi and Naeem Shahada, two residents of Jerusalem.

It added that the walls and gates of a home belonging to a Palestinian family in the same neighborhood were also demolished.

There was no immediate comment from Israeli municipal authorities on the demolitions.

Silwan is among the areas most frequently targeted for home demolitions and displacement in East Jerusalem.

Palestinian, Israeli and international rights groups say Israeli authorities rarely grant building permits to Palestinians in East Jerusalem while expanding approvals for illegal settlements in the occupied city.

About 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank, including around 250,000 in East Jerusalem, and carry out frequent attacks against Palestinians.

Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, based on international resolutions that do not recognize Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967 or its annexation in 1980.

In 1948, Israel was established on land where armed Zionist groups displaced at least 750,000 Palestinians, and it later occupied the remaining Palestinian territories, while rejecting withdrawal and the establishment of a Palestinian state.


*Writing by Lina Altawell

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