Israeli military storms West Bank towns, carries out demolition

A residential building was destroyed in one of the occupied West Bank towns by Israeli forces.

As they began the demolition of East Jerusalem on Monday, soldiers fired tear gas and stun grenades. According to Palestinian officials, Israel is engaged in a city-wide displacement campaign as part of a coordinated effort to expel Palestinians from their land.

As a four-story residential building was torn down by Israeli bulldozers, scores of Palestinians were forced to flee. It was the biggest demolition in the area this year, according to activists.

According to Al Jazeera Arabic correspondents, three bulldozers reportedly destroyed the Wadi Qaddum neighborhood of the Silwan district, south of Jerusalem’s Old City, housing complex with 13 apartments.

Israeli forces deployed heavily throughout the area, blocked nearby roads, and placed security personnel on the rooftops of nearby homes. A young man and a teen boy were detained during the operation.

Because the building had been constructed without a permit, the demolition order was made, according to the residents.

According to activists, Israel’s restrictive planning policies, which they claim are a result of a systematic attempt to ethnically expel Palestinians from their land, present significant challenges for Palestinians in getting building permits.

As the government continues to expand its settlement push, Israel’s security cabinet recently approved the recognition of 19 new settlements in the West Bank. This number increases to 69 in total this year.

“Systematic policy of displacement”

The demolition was condemned by the Palestinian Authority-affiliated governorate in Jerusalem.

The governorate stated in a statement that the demolition of the building is part of a “systical policy” that aims to forcefully displaced Palestinian residents and remove the city’s original inhabitants.

“Any demolition that expels residents from their homes results in a clear occupation plan to replace the land’s owners with settlers.”

According to the Jerusalem municipality, an Israeli body whose jurisdiction over East Jerusalem is not recognized by international law, a 2014 court order led to the demolition.

Despite a scheduled meeting on Monday to discuss steps to legalize the building, Israeli human rights organizations Ir Amim and Bimkom claimed the demolition was carried out without warning.

“This is a continuation of a policy,” the statement read. Around 100 East Jerusalem families have lost their homes this year alone, according to the organizations, calling the demolition on Monday the largest of 2025.

Escalated attacks

In the northern town of Silat al-Harithiya, Israeli forces also damaged agricultural land and uprooted trees.

Israeli forces stormed several neighbourhoods with large numbers of military vehicles, deployed sniper teams, and established positions throughout the city in Halhul, north of Hebron.

Israeli vehicles entered Halhul through several checkpoints, including Nabi Yunis, before closing the checkpoint connecting the city to Hebron, according to Al Jazeera Arabic journalists.

Israeli forces and settlers have sharply increased attacks across the West Bank since Israel started its occupation of Gaza in October 2023.