Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs calls for urgent international intervention to stop the demolition of Palestinian homes in occupied Jerusalem
Demolition of residential building in Ra’s al-`Amoud displaces nearly 100 people, mostly women and children
Israeli demolitions escalate, targeting 464 buildings and structures since the start of 2025
JERUSALEM—This morning, Monday, the Israeli occupation authorities demolished the “Al-Wa’ad” residential building in the Wadi Qaddum area of Ras al-Amoud [Damascus Gate], home to 13 Palestinian families comprising approximately 100 individuals, most of them women and children. The demolition forcibly displaced the families and deprived them of their fundamental right to housing, in a grave violation of international humanitarian law and human rights law.
In a statement, the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs affirmed that the demolition of this residential building represents a glaring example of the racial discrimination and apartheid policies systematically implemented by the occupation authorities in occupied Jerusalem. It forms part of a coordinated effort to forcibly displace Palestinian families and empty the city of its indigenous people, as part of an intensifying Judaization and colonial project. Since the beginning of 2025, Israeli occupation forces have demolished more than 464 buildings and structures in the Jerusalem governorate, including 229 demolitions within the city of Jerusalem itself.
The Ministry explained that the Israeli occupation municipality of Jerusalem, accompanied by large police forces, besieged the building from dawn before proceeding to demolish it entirely.
The Ministry stressed that this attack continues the occupation’s policy of targeting the very existence of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem under the pretext of “lacking permits.” The Israeli occupation municipality of Jerusalem imposes exorbitant fees on the Palestinian people of Jerusalem to obtain building permits and licenses for their structures, while also enforcing insurmountable restrictive measures that effectively prevent Palestinians from constructing homes. These practices, it emphasized, violate the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, particularly the right to adequate housing and the principle of non-discrimination.
The Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs called on the international community, foremost among them the European Union and the United Nations, to assume their legal and humanitarian responsibilities and act urgently to halt these demolition and forced displacement crimes, which amount to war crimes. It also urged holding the occupation authorities accountable for their repeated violations against Palestinian citizens of Jerusalem.
Photo: Ra’s al-`Amud quarter of occupied Jerusalem. Source: Wikipedia.
