New ‘Nakba’ in Jerusalem: Israel steps up Silwan demolitions near Al-Aqsa

Israeli authorities demolished 54 homes in the al-Bustan neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem's Silwan district since October 2023, according to researchers, as part of plans to expand Israeli settler compounds and biblical-themed parks near Al-Aqsa Mosque. The demolition rate has accelerated sharply from roughly one to two homes annually between 2006 and 2023; Aviv Tatarsky of the Israeli human rights organisation Ir Amim described the escalation as "devastating" and warned that the neighbourhood, home to approximately 1,500 Palestinians, faces potential complete depopulation.