Day 58: Al-Aqsa Flood Operation in the city of Jerusalem
On the 58th day of “Al-Aqsa Flood” Operation, demolition operations were carried out on 3 homes in the city of Jerusalem, while the villages of Sur Baher, Umm and Tuba continued to be isolated and closed with cement cubes, the siege of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City continued, and the raids in various neighborhoods and towns continued.
Demolition and displacement
On Sunday morning, occupation municipality bulldozers demolished the house of freed prisoner Jihad Attoun, while damaging the house of his brother, the deported MP Ahmed Attoun.
The Attoun family explained to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem, that the occupation municipality crews, accompanied by special forces and police, stormed the family’s building in the village of Sur Baher, after besieging it and positioning themselves at the entrance to the street leading to it, then they completely evacuated the building’s apartments, to implement the demolition decision of an apartment located on the third floor.
Before the demolition, the forces imposed a siege on the area, and occupied the roofs of many nearby buildings and were stationed at their entrances and on the roads leading to them.
The family added that the bulldozer carried out the demolition of the apartment, which is located on the third floor, and also caused damage to a room in the house of MP Ahmed Attoun, which is located on the second floor.
Jihad Attoun lives in the house that was demolished with his family of five people, pointing out that he built it 13 years ago and tried to license it during the past years. With the beginning of the war, the occupation authorities implemented the demolition decision and refused to hold any session to freeze or postpone the demolition under the pretext of a “state of emergency.”
The municipality imposed a “building violation” worth 40,000 shekels on Attoun, which he was committed to paying.
The Attoun family pointed out that the forces searched and vandalized the home of MP Ahmad Attoun while carrying out the demolition of his brother Jihad’s house.
The Awad family
The occupation municipality forced Ayman Awad to self-demolish his house, pointing out that the municipality issued a decision to demolish his house in 2020, and imposed on him an “unlicensed building violation,” and he was surprised 20 days ago by placing a demolition order on his house and demanding that it be implemented within 3 weeks, otherwise the municipal mechanisms will do it, and he must pay the demolition fees.
The Al-Rajabi family
The two brothers, Ahmed and Khader Al-Rajabi, were forced to self-demolish their homes in order to avoid paying the “demolition fee” to the municipality crews and the forces accompanying them.
Ahmed Al-Rajabi had been living in his home with his wife and three children for 4 years, while Khader was with his family of 7 members, including 5 children.
The municipality imposed a building fine on the family worth 171,000 shekels.
The family pointed out that the building is made of concrete and brick, and the roof is made of reinforced sheet metal, and the municipality had issued the final demolition decision last September.
Decision to demolish a residential building
In the Al-Sowaneh neighborhood, the occupation authorities suspended a demolition decision on a residential building consisting of 4 floors and a roof and containing “18 apartments,” including an apartment belonging to Sheikh Ekrima Sabri.
Residents explained that the building has been standing for 20 years, housing 100 people, and that the municipality issued the first demolition order in 2004, and during the past years it imposed on them building violations amounting to “!.2 million shekels.”
Siege and isolation
For the third day in a row, the occupation authorities continue to close the main and subsidiary entrances to the villages of Sur Baher and Umm Tuba, with cement cubes and police barriers.
The occupation forces raid homes and shops.
Families in Sur Baher explained that over the past two days, forces stormed several homes, vandalized and conducted random searches, and assaulted residents.
They also raided several commercial stores, confiscated goods, and delivered summonses to their owners to follow-up with the municipality.
Siege of Al-Aqsa
Since the seventh of last October, the occupation authorities have continued to impose a siege and restrictions on the entry of Muslims to Al-Aqsa, preventing entry to it except for employees of the Islamic Endowments and the elderly, most of whom are residents of the Old City.
The forces are stationed at the gates of Al-Aqsa and the gates of the Old City.
143 settlers carried out their raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque, during the morning and afternoon incursions periods.
Arrests and summonses also continued in the city of Jerusalem, after homes were stormed or after conducting field arrests of young men.
