JERUSALEM, October 12, 2026 (WAFA) — Israeli occupation authorities on Monday compelled a Palestinian to demolish his home in the occupied city of East Jerusalem, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.

The Governorate said the Israeli municipality forced Alaa Issam al-Rujbi to demolish his home himself in the al-Ashqariya neighborhood of Beit Hanina, noting that the 60-square-meter house was built in 2017. Al-Rujbi got married about a year ago and is expecting a child.

It added that the occupation authorities notified Hani al-Salaymeh and his father of the impending demolition of their homes in the Wadi Qaddum neighborhood of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

It revealed that al-Salaymeh had begun emptying his home and his father's in preparation for their self-demolition. His home covers 100 square meters and was built in 2002, and he lives there with his wife and four children. His parents' home covers 60 square meters.

The occupation authorities force Palestinian citizens, particularly in occupied Jerusalem, to demolish their own homes under the pretext of unlicensed building. Those who refuse face demolition by occupation bulldozers and are charged exorbitant costs.

The Israeli municipality in Jerusalem refrains from granting Palestinians building permits, and instead demolishes their homes or forces them to demolish them, in a measure that contravenes international laws and humanitarian conventions guaranteeing the right to housing.

The practice is part of systematic Israeli occupation measures aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians from Jerusalem while expanding colonies in the city and its surroundings.

A.D./ K.F.