Israeli forces demolished a five-story residential building housing 70 Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday, while far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posed on a bulldozer as residents were forcibly displaced.
Israeli forces demolished the building that contains 10 apartments in the Al-Tur neighborhood, a day after residents were given a final demolition notice by the Israeli occupation, the Jerusalem Governorate said.
"Israeli occupation authorities had pursued the residents for years with demolition orders and fines while refusing to issue them building permits," the governorate added in a statement.
Witnesses said Israeli occupation authorities forced residents to evacuate their apartments before the demolition, while extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir raided the site backed by police.
The Jerusalem governorate said that Ben-Gvir used the demolition for "electoral exploitation," saying his participation represented "official incitement" against Palestinians in East Jerusalem and their presence in the city.
"Turning the demolition of Palestinian homes into an electoral scene and a show of force does not change the fact that East Jerusalem is occupied Palestinian territory," the governorate said.
A video posted by the governorate showed Israeli forces and bulldozers at the site after the building had been reduced to rubble, with Ben-Gvir seen standing on one of the bulldozers.
According to the Jerusalem Governorate, Israeli occupation authorities carried out 139 demolition and land-leveling operations in East Jerusalem between July and September and issued 150 demolition, eviction and property-seizure orders.
The UN humanitarian office has documented around 170 Palestinian structures demolished in the occupied city since the beginning of 2026, mostly on the grounds of lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which it says are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain.
Local and international rights organizations say Israel severely restricts building permits for Palestinians in East Jerusalem while continuing home demolitions and illegal settlement expansion.
Using the pretext of illegal building, Israel demolishes houses and structures on a regular basis to restrict Palestinian expansion in occupied Jerusalem and "bury the idea of a Palestinian state."
At the same time, the Israeli occupation municipality and the occupation government built tens of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem for Jews to offset the demographic balance in favor of the Israeli settlers in the occupied city.
Israel has been moving its settlers into the occupied Jerusalem neighborhoods since the 1980s. This has resulted in numerous human rights violations, including the forced displacement of Palestinian residents and house demolitions.
Hundreds of Palestinian families are being threatened with forced displacement and house demolitions by illegal settler groups, fully supported by the Israeli occupation government.
There are nearly 700,000 Israeli settlers living in 256 illegal settlements and outposts scattered across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.
Israeli courts had previously rejected many appeals filed by the residents of Jerusalem to stop demolitions and forced displacement.
