At dawn on Tuesday, 1st May, Israeli armed forces and police – accompanied by staff from the Jerusalem municipality – raided the al-Bustan neighborhood in Silwan village, south of al-Aqsa Mosque. They broke into several houses and issued the residents demolition orders from the Israeli courts.

Head of the Committee for the Defence of Silwan, Fakhri Abu Diab, said on "Facebook" that Israeli forces imposed a cordon around the area and that the municipality staff raided the houses in order to take measurements and interrogate the families.

Abu Diab said that the municipality's staff and the Israeli forces are still at the area, raiding Palestinian houses and stores. Some of the properties that were raided belong to Jabriel al-Tawel, Hesham Ayyed Qara'in, al-Mukhtar Ayed Hamdan Ayed, Fayez, Nader Abu Diab among others.

The village's citizens described the Israeli raid as a brutal attack – especially since women and children were in the houses. Such attacks create tension and fear amid the citizens, particularly children.

A number of Palestinian youths threw stones and empty bottles towards the Israeli soldiers forcing them to withdraw from the area, whilst the Israeli forces threw tear gas and sound bombs towards the Palestinians.

Israeli Authorities had previously decided to demolish all 80 houses in the neighborhood in order Judaize the area by replacing them with Israeli projects that serve the myth of the temple.

Source: Palestine News Network