According to the institution, Hani Salaymeh began emptying his home and that of his parents—located in the Wadi Qaddoum area of ​​Silwan—in preparation for the demolition.

In a separate case, Alaa Issam Al-Rajabi demolished his own house in the Al-Ashqariya neighborhood of Beit Hanina after receiving an order from the Israeli Jerusalem municipality.

Israeli authorities often compel Palestinian residents to carry out demolitions themselves to avoid the high costs that, according to Palestinian sources, the municipality charges when performing the work with its own machinery. Palestinian human rights organizations maintain that restrictions on obtaining building permits in East Jerusalem drive some residents to build without authorization, thereby exposing their homes to demolition orders.

A report published in October by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, citing the Commission Against the Wall and Settlements, recorded 341 demolition operations during the first half of 2026.

According to the document, these actions affected 740 Palestinian structures, including inhabited homes or those under construction, commercial and agricultural facilities, and other assets linked to livelihoods.

Building without a permit was the primary reason cited to justify the demolitions, the report indicated.

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