Occupied Jerusalem (QNN)- Israeli police, settlers, and army forces stormed Wadi Qaddum neighborhood in Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, before dawn on Monday. They arrived in large numbers and brought police dogs. The target was the residential building known as Al-Waad.
At 4:00 a.m., forces released police dogs inside the building while residents slept. They ordered families in all 12 apartments to leave immediately. Officers announced an on-the-spot demolition. Over 100 people, nearly half of them are children, became homeless and had no time to remove belongings.
During the demolition, heavily armed forces, joined by settlers, assaulted residents and starting throwing away their belongings. Jerusalem Governorate described the operation as a crime aimed at forcing Palestinians out of the city.
The raids came amid a broader escalation across occupied Jerusalem.
Earlier on Monday, Israeli forces demolished agricultural facilities in the Al-Marj area of Anata, northeast of the occupied capital city. Army units entered the neighborhood with bulldozers and began the destruction.
In Bab al-Amoud, Israeli forces demolished a commercial facility after storming the area. The move followed months of intensified crackdowns on shops and street stalls at the historic gate.
Hamas leader Abdul Rahman Shadid said the demolition in Wadi Qaddum ranks among the largest collective displacement operations in occupied Jerusalem.
He described it as a war crime and a crime against humanity. He warned against continued international silence and held the international community and the United Nations responsible for failing to stop Israel’s actions. He called for urgent measures to halt demolitions and hold Israeli leaders accountable.
Jerusalem Governorate said municipal workers beat residents while forces fired sound grenades at crowds.
In a statement, the governorate said the demolition of Al-Waad building forms part of a systematic policy of forced displacement. The aim, it said, is to empty Jerusalem of its Palestinian population and impose new demographic facts by force.
The governorate noted that the building served as the only shelter for the affected families. Authorities used repeated claims of “lack of permits” despite deliberate and restrictive policies that block Palestinians from obtaining building licenses.
According to the governorate, Israeli authorities carried out about 370 demolition and bulldozing operations across occupied Jerusalem since the start of the year. The policy, it said, seeks to clear land for ongoing and planned settlement projects.
In a related move, Israeli forces issued stop-work orders for four homes in Al-Asakira village, east of Bethlehem.
