623 homes and facilities have been demolished by the occupation in Jerusalem since October 7.

The Jerusalem Governorate stated that the number of homes and facilities destroyed by the Israeli occupation authorities in the governorate since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, has reached 623. These included residential homes, some of which had been inhabited for decades, and others under construction, in addition to commercial and economic facilities that constitute a source of livelihood for dozens of Jerusalemite families.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the organization added that the occupation authorities continued to implement their racist policies against our people in the governorate. Their vehicles, under heavy protection from their forces, demolished a house in the town of Hizma, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, as part of an organized campaign targeting the Palestinian presence in the holy city.

She pointed out that the ongoing demolitions, particularly the forced "self-demolition" of homes under threat of fines or arrest, constitute a systematic policy aimed at complicity in the crime, psychologically and financially draining Jerusalemites, and forcibly pushing them toward evacuation.

The governorate noted that although the majority of affected families have, over many years, paid hefty fines and penalties that may exceed the cost of construction itself, the occupation authorities have continued to deny them building permits, or have imposed prohibitive conditions for obtaining them. The approval rate for permit applications has not exceeded 2% of all applications, while Palestinians are allowed to build on no more than 13% of the area of occupied East Jerusalem.

She continued: These demolitions cannot be separated from the broader Israeli policy, which aims to impose a fait accompli, Judaize the city, empty it of its Palestinian population, and reduce the Arab and Islamic presence there. This is achieved through a series of violations that include land confiscation, restrictions on planning and construction, and the encouragement of settlements. All of these steps blatantly contravene international humanitarian law, UN resolutions, and the Geneva Conventions, which consider East Jerusalem to be occupied Palestinian territory.

The governorate considered what is happening to be a crime of forced displacement that amounts to a war crime, and calls for urgent and effective international action to hold the occupation accountable for its escalating violations and to hold it accountable for its blatant breach of international conventions, especially since these crimes are being committed in broad daylight, in full view of the international community.

She called on all international bodies, including the International Criminal Court, the Human Rights Council, and special rapporteurs, to take urgent action to halt these ongoing crimes against our people, hold those responsible accountable, and work diligently to protect the right of Jerusalemites to a dignified life in their city, on their land, and among their people.

-