Israel forces 3 Palestinian families to demolish their homes in Jerusalem

Israeli occupation authorities have forced three Palestinian families to demolish their homes in Jerusalem, the Palestinian Information Centre reported.

Osama Dabash, one of the affected homeowners, said yesterday evening that his family was forced to demolish its own home to avoid heavy fines, after Israeli authorities ordered its demolition within two weeks.

Dabash stated that he had lived in the home for more than 45 years, and was pressured to tear down a section of it under the pretext that it lacked a construction permit. “It’s taken a heavy psychological toll,” he said, noting that his family includes 32 people.

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Israel’s Jerusalem Municipality also forced Firas Abu Farha, a resident of Wadi Al-Joz, to self-demolish his home, where he lived with his wife and five children. The demolition left the family homeless.

This comes amid ongoing efforts by Israeli occupation authorities to displace Palestinian families from Jerusalem as part of a broader campaign to empty the city of its indigenous population.

During the first quarter of 2025, Israeli authorities carried out 91 demolition and bulldozing operations in occupied Jerusalem, including 26 forced self-demolitions in which Palestinians were coerced to destroy their own homes to avoid exorbitant fines.

Additionally, Israeli forces conducted 53 demolitions using heavy machinery and 12 land-levelling operations targeting Palestinian-owned lands and streets — under the guise that they lacked building permits. These permits are notoriously difficult, if not impossible, for Palestinians to obtain due to systemic Israeli restrictions.

The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate also documented 53 other violations during the same period, including 19 demolition orders, 31 land confiscations, and three eviction notices.

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