Israeli forces have carried out raids across towns in the occupied West Bank, demolishing a residential building and displacing dozens of Palestinian families.
On Monday, soldiers fired stun grenades and tear gas as bulldozers moved in to destroy a four-storey apartment building in East Jerusalem. Palestinian officials said the operation was part of a broader pattern of forced displacement targeting Palestinian communities in the city.
Demolition in East Jerusalem
The demolished building, located in the Wadi Qaddum neighbourhood of Silwan, south of Jerusalem’s Old City, contained 13 apartments. According to local reports, three Israeli bulldozers were used in the operation, which activists described as the largest demolition in the area so far this year.
Israeli forces sealed off surrounding roads, deployed heavily throughout the neighbourhood, and positioned security personnel on nearby rooftops. During the demolition, a young man and a teenage boy were arrested.
Residents were informed that the structure was demolished because it lacked an Israeli-issued building permit. Palestinian and Israeli rights groups have long argued that such permits are extremely difficult for Palestinians to obtain due to restrictive planning policies.
Claims of Forced Displacement
Palestinian officials and rights advocates accused Israel of pursuing a systematic policy aimed at pushing Palestinians out of East Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem governorate, affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, condemned the demolition, saying it was intended to forcibly remove Palestinian residents and alter the city’s demographic makeup.
Israeli human rights organisations Ir Amim and Bimkom said the demolition was carried out without prior notice, despite a meeting scheduled for the same day to discuss legalising the building. They added that around 100 Palestinian families in East Jerusalem have lost their homes this year alone.
Israeli authorities stated the demolition was based on a court order issued in 2014. However, critics argue that such legal actions disproportionately affect Palestinians and support ongoing settlement expansion. Israel’s security cabinet has recently approved 19 new settlements in the West Bank, bringing the total number approved this year to 69.
Raids and Damage Across the West Bank
Elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli forces reportedly damaged agricultural land and uprooted trees in the northern town of Silat al-Harithiya.
In Halhul, north of Hebron, large numbers of Israeli military vehicles entered the city, with sniper teams deployed and several neighbourhoods sealed off. Access routes, including the Halhul Bridge checkpoint linking the city to Hebron, were temporarily closed.
Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, violence has sharply intensified across the West Bank. Palestinian figures say more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed, roughly 11,000 injured, and over 21,000 arrested amid ongoing military operations and settler attacks.
Rights groups warn that continued demolitions and raids risk further escalating tensions and deepening the humanitarian crisis across the occupied territories.