JERUSALEM, March 22, 2026 (WAFA) – Colonists on Sunday seized two apartments belonging to the Basbous family in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, after forcefully evicting the family under an order issued by Israeli occupation authorities.

Local sources reported that occupation forces were heavily deployed around the neighborhood to secure the takeover and fired tear gas canisters at residents, causing a boy to suffer from suffocation.

The operation comes amid a marked escalation in the seizure of Palestinian homes in Silwan, particularly in Batn al-Hawa, which has been subjected to a sustained colonization campaign led by colonist organizations for years.

According to reports from the Wadi Hilweh Information Center and the Ir Amim Association, the number of housing units seized or subject to eviction orders in Batn al-Hawa alone has exceeded 80, belonging to dozens of Palestinian families, under legal claims based on alleged ownership dating back before 1948.

The reports indicate that these policies have led to the displacement of dozens of Palestinian families from their homes in Silwan, with direct support from occupation authorities, who provide security protection for colonist organizations during the takeover operations.

Experts confirm that the events in Silwan are part of a systematic policy aimed at changing the demographic reality in occupied Jerusalem and strengthening the settler presence around the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

T.R.