JERUSALEM, February 3, 2026 (WAFA) — Israeli occupation authorities on Tuesday issued partial eviction orders against two Palestinian families in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, in occupied Jerusalem.
The orders were delivered to Salah and Naeem Maragha and include parts of their homes as well as family parking areas, under the claim that the land is owned by Jews since 1881. The Israeli execution office granted the families 21 days to carry out the eviction after the Israeli Supreme Court rejected their appeal last week.
Earlier, on 14 January, Israeli authorities issued notices to several residents from the Rajabi and Basbous families to open files at the so-called execution and enforcement department, in preparation for carrying out forced evictions. The notices targeted around 33 homes housing approximately 220 Palestinians in the neighborhood, including the home of Yousef al-Basbous, despite his case still pending before the Israeli Supreme Court.
The Jerusalem Governorate said the measure comes amid an ongoing escalation of settlement activity in Batn al-Hawa. On 5 January, settlers seized a home belonging to the Basbous family under heavy protection from Israeli police, displacing 13 family members.
Israeli authorities have previously forced several Palestinian families out of their homes in the neighborhood. On 14 December 2025, Najah al-Rajabi and her two sons were compelled to evacuate three homes that were handed over to the settler organization Ateret Cohanim, which began extensive renovation work in preparation for housing settler families.
On 9 November 2025, Umm Zuhri al-Shuwaiki, her son, and Jumaa Odeh were also forced out of their homes, after which settlers entered the buildings and raised Israeli flags.
Legal claims by the settler organization Ateret Cohanim are based on allegations of Jewish ownership dating back to 1881 over an area of about five dunums and 200 square meters. These claims have placed more than 84 Palestinian families, comprising around 700 individuals, in prolonged legal procedures before Israeli courts under the 1970 Legal and Administrative Matters Law, which allows Jews to reclaim property from before 1948 while denying Palestinians the right to recover their own properties.
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