Israeli Authorities Force Palestinians To Self-Demolish Homes In Silwan, Jerusalem

Israeli authorities compelled Palestinians to demolish their own homes under the pretext of building without permits.

Mohammed Khalaf Awda and Mohammed Shehda Qweider were forced to self-demolish their residences in the Silwan neighborhood.

Al Jazeera

Fines ranged from 25,000 to 120,000 shekels.

The Jerusalem Governorate reported Awda's home measures about 70 square meters and houses him, his wife, and five children.

Qweider's home measures around 100 square meters and houses him, his wife, and six children.

Palestinians undertake self-demolition to avoid higher penalties and demolition costs.

On December 22, 2025, Israeli bulldozers demolished a four-story building housing about a dozen Palestinian families in Silwan.

Nearly a hundred Palestinians lived in the building.

Al Jazeera

Eid Shawar was awakened by police who broke down his door to carry out evictions.

The Jerusalem Governorate condemned the demolition as part of a systematic policy of forcible displacement.

Two Israeli NGOs lamented that the demolition occurred without notice.

In 2025, about a hundred East Jerusalem families lost their homes.

East Jerusalem remains a central and highly contested issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1980 and regards it as part of its capital.

The United Nations regards the annexation as illegal.

Tensions have intensified since Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023.

The demolition of Palestinian homes has accelerated dramatically since then.

UN figures show 1,617 structures demolished in 2024 compared with 1,175 the previous year.

Residents face the trauma of losing their homes and the financial burden of paying for demolitions.

Quteiba Odeh told France Info they send us the bill for the bulldozer, the soldiers, the dogs.

AL-Monitor

Many Palestinians do not receive building permits.

The Israeli municipality justified demolitions by citing land designated for recreational use.

Palestinian authorities condemned the actions as part of a systematic policy to empty the city.