Occupied Jerusalem and Ramallah, Dec 15 (Petra) – Three Palestinian families were evicted on Monday from their homes in Silwan neighborhood, south of Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, in favor of a Jewish settler organization, the Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said.

Several members of the families were injured during the eviction, it said in a statement, adding that the orders are part of an ongoing policy of forced displacement targeting residents of the neighborhood. It said legal cases concerning 26 homes housing about 250 people are pending.

At Al Aqsa Mosque, dozens of Israeli settlers and extremists stormed the compound under the protection of paramilitary police.

They provocatively toured the plaza of the compound and performed prayers as police imposed tight restrictions against Muslim worshippers on the entrances to the complex.

In the north of the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army issued demolition orders for 25 buildings in Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm, in a systematic campaign that resulted in the displacement of more than 25,000 Palestinians and the complete destruction of over 600 homes.

Israeli forces also arrested 15 Palestinians in search-and-arrest raids across the West Bank amid rising settler attacks on Palestinian towns and villages under the protection of the occupation army.

//Petra//SS