JERUSALEM, March 25, 2026 (WAFA) – The Jerusalem Governorate stated that the escalating attacks taking place in occupied Jerusalem—including killings, forced evictions, demolitions, and the seizure of property—constitute a comprehensive and systematic war targeting the Palestinian presence. These actions fall within the framework of an accelerated Israeli plan aimed at reshaping the demographic and geographic reality of the city, taking advantage of the regional and international preoccupation with the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
In this context, the Jerusalem Governorate confirmed in a statement issued today, Wednesday, the killing of the young Jerusalemite Qasem Amjad Shqeirat (21), who was shot dead by Israeli occupation forces at dawn during their raid on the town of Jabal Al-Mukabber, southeast of occupied Jerusalem. This crime adds to the ongoing violations against the Palestinian people, bringing the number of martyrs this year to three: Qasem Amjad Shqeirat, Murad Shweiki, and Nasrallah Mohammad Jamal Siyam.
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have continued their policy of forced displacement in the Batn Al-Hawa neighborhood in the town of Silwan. Occupation forces stormed the area and forcibly evacuated 11 inhabited homes belonging to the Rajabi family, housing approximately 65 Jerusalemites, in favor of settler organizations. They also forcibly evicted two homes belonging to the Basbous family and arrested Anas Raafat Basbous following the eviction, after previously seizing two other homes by breaking in and changing their locks.
These measures have extended to the village of Qalandiya, north of occupied Jerusalem, where crews from the Israeli municipality delivered demolition notices yesterday to seven residential buildings in the eastern neighborhood, giving residents 21 days to evacuate under the pretext of unlicensed construction, thereby threatening dozens of families with forced displacement.
In a related context, the occupation continues to close Al-Aqsa Mosque for the 26th consecutive day, preventing worshippers from accessing it and imposing a tight military cordon on the Old City, isolating it from its surroundings through military checkpoints. This represents a grave violation of freedom of worship and has forced residents to perform prayers in the streets, amid economic paralysis and disruption of daily life in the city.
The Jerusalem Governorate emphasized that all these Israeli measures are null, void, and illegitimate, constituting grave breaches of international humanitarian law and international legitimacy resolutions, and amounting to war crimes that require accountability.
The Governorate called on Arab and international media outlets, as well as human rights and humanitarian organizations, to shed light on the situation in Jerusalem, allocate coverage space to Jerusalem-related issues, and prevent the occupation from exploiting the current international distraction to pass its plans. It also urged documentation and exposure of these violations and pressure on the international community to assume its responsibilities toward Jerusalem.
kK.T
