Israeli forces demolish five-story building in East Jerusalem

Israeli forces demolished a five-story residential building in the Al-Tur neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday. The structure contained ten apartments and housed approximately seventy Palestinians, according to the Jerusalem Governorate. Residents received a final demolition notice just one day before the operation took place.

Witnesses reported that authorities forced residents to evacuate their apartments prior to the demolition. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived at the site under police protection. Video footage released by the governorate showed Israeli bulldozers reducing the building to rubble while Ben-Gvir stood on one of the machines.

The Jerusalem Governorate accused Ben-Gvir of using the event for electoral exploitation. Officials stated his presence constituted official incitement against Palestinians in the city. They argued that turning home demolitions into political spectacles does not change the status of East Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian territory.

Authorities had pursued the residents for years with fines and demolition orders while refusing to issue building permits. The governorate noted that Israeli authorities carried out hundreds of demolition operations in the area between the start of the year and September. United Nations data documented around one hundred seventy structures demolished in the city since early 2026.

Rights organizations state that Israeli authorities severely restrict building permits for Palestinians while expanding settlements. The governorate called on the international community to take legal action to halt these measures. It demanded that Israel respect international humanitarian law and stop policies aimed at altering the demographic composition of the city.