Jerusalem24– A total of 74 Palestinians including 42 children are at imminent risk of displacement in the Wadi Qaddum area of Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory (OCHA) says the families, who share a building with 12 housing units, have received a demolition order from the Israeli municipality and are called to evacuate within days.
Two of the households would be displaced for the second time in two years following previous demolitions.
Israeli authorities plan to demolish the building under the pretext it lacks a permit. Building permits are virtually impossible for Palestinians to obtain in East Jerusalem and most of the West Bank.
The site on which the building is located has further been designated by the Israeli authorities as an “open/green space”, to be used as a public garden.
OCHA says they are engaged in “primary efforts aim[ed] to prevent the demolition through engagement with relevant authorities.”
“The humanitarian community stands ready to support those displaced if the demolition goes ahead,” it adds.
A total of 300 Palestinian structures have been demolished so far in 2022, leading to the displacement of 437 people including 171 in East Jerusalem.
