Today, Saturday, 5 Palestinian families evacuated their homes in the Al-Bustan neighborhood in the town of Silwan, in occupied Jerusalem, in preparation for their demolition.

Othman Al-Ruwaidi, the owner of one of the five homes, said that the house was built in 2002, and about two weeks ago an armed Israeli force came and informed them that it would demolish it.

He added in his interview with Al Jazeera Net that the Israeli force stormed the house and inspected its parts to determine what they needed for the demolition process. He continued that the occupation police contacted them to inform them of the need to evacuate the homes in preparation for the demolition process tomorrow, Sunday.

He pointed out that the demolition will disperse 5 families living in adjacent houses with a total area of more than 250 square metres, and the number of their members is 28, most of whom are children.

As for the justification for the demolition, he said it was “settlement and the move to establish biblical gardens and make way for more settlement and emptying Jerusalem of its residents.”

Al-Ruwaidi said that the five families, including his elderly mother, were forced to evacuate their homes and empty their contents.

According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the occupation authorities have demolished 27 facilities in the town of Silwan since the beginning of the year, including 19 inhabited homes.

In all of Jerusalem, 169 Palestinian facilities have been demolished since the beginning of this year, including 190 inhabited homes, resulting in the displacement of 415 Palestinians and damage to about 35,552.