OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Israeli demolition notices targeting Palestinian homes and structures in Occupied Jerusalem continue, alongside restrictions on Palestinian construction and the seizure of property and land. These measures threaten the stability of Jerusalemite families and heighten fears of losing their homes and livelihoods, amid continued settlement expansion and changes to the city’s urban and demographic landscape.
In the latest measures, Israeli police forces issued five demolition notices on Wednesday for residential buildings in the town of Anata, northeast of Occupied Jerusalem, on the grounds of construction without permits, marking a continuation of measures targeting the town in recent months.
Last August, Israeli authorities issued approximately 30 demolition notices for homes, walls, agricultural structures, and livestock pens in the Wadi Al-Beik area of the town, placing more Palestinian properties at risk of demolition and bulldozing.
427 demolition and bulldozing operations in nine months
Data from the Jerusalem Governorate reveal the expanding scope of demolition and bulldozing operations across the governorate, with approximately 427 operations recorded during the first nine months of 2026, compared with 380 operations in 2024 and 337 in 2023.
During the third quarter of this year alone, the governorate documented 139 demolition and bulldozing operations, including 96 demolitions carried out by Israeli occupation machinery, 35 forced self-demolitions in which Palestinians were compelled to demolish their own properties, and eight operations involving the bulldozing of land and structures.
The governorate also recorded 150 notices and orders related to demolition, eviction, and property seizure during the same period, including 140 demolition notices and orders, three eviction orders, and seven orders to confiscate property and land.
These measures affected several towns and neighborhoods in Occupied Jerusalem, including Anata, Silwan, Kafr Aqab, Sur Baher, and Wadi Al-Hummus. They were not limited to residential homes but also included commercial and agricultural structures, livestock pens, walls, and land, threatening the foundations of daily life for Palestinian residents.
Construction restrictions, demolitions, and evictions
The demolition notices come amid restrictions imposed on Palestinian construction in Occupied Jerusalem, where alleged construction without permits serves as the basis for numerous demolition orders, while residents face difficulties obtaining the necessary permits to build or expand their homes.
According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli occupation authorities demolished 208 Palestinian structures in Occupied Jerusalem as of November 10, 2025, including 105 inhabited homes, displacing 503 Palestinians, among them 242 children. Owners of 143 structures were forced to demolish them themselves to avoid financial penalties or the consequences of demolition carried out by Israeli occupation authorities.
In 2026, UN data recorded the demolition of approximately 170 Palestinian structures in Occupied Jerusalem as of August 7, on the grounds of construction without permits. Meanwhile, Jerusalem Governorate data showed that the number of demolition and bulldozing operations across the wider governorate had risen to approximately 427 during the first nine months of the year.
Israeli measures are not limited to the demolition of homes and structures, as orders to evict Palestinian families from their properties in favor of settlement organizations continue, alongside the advancement of new settlement plans and projects. The Jerusalem Governorate documented 55 settlement plans, projects, and activities during the third quarter of 2026, including master plans, road construction work, and land-related measures.
The five demolition notices in Anata add a new threat to the series of measures affecting residents and their properties in Occupied Jerusalem and its surrounding areas, as demolitions and land seizures coincide with settlement expansion, intensifying pressure on the Palestinian presence and threatening the stability of residential communities in the occupied city.
