UN rights office says Israeli forces evicted 16 Palestinian families in East Jerusalem

ISTANBUL

Israeli forces forcibly evicted at least 16 Palestinian families from their homes in Batn al-Hawa in Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem, between March 22 and 25, the UN human rights office said Thursday.

In a statement posted on the US social media company X, the office said the evictions are part of an accelerating effort to empty areas surrounding Jerusalem’s Old City of Palestinians and replace them with illegal settlers.

The office said that since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has forcibly displaced 28 Palestinian households, or around 160 people, from Batn al-Hawa, noting a sharp acceleration since early 2025.

It warned that dozens of Palestinian families remain at imminent risk of eviction.

The UN office said forced displacement across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is taking place at levels not seen since 1967, raising concerns over what it described as ethnic cleansing, racial segregation and apartheid.

It called on the international community to act to halt forced displacement in the occupied Palestinian territory and ensure accountability for violations of international law, while supporting Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

Since the start of the Gaza war on Oct. 8, 2023, attacks by Israeli forces and occupiers in the West Bank have killed at least 1,133 Palestinians, injured about 11,700 others, and led to the arrest of roughly 22,000 people.

In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.