DaysofPal – Israeli occupation forces have issued final eviction orders against residents of 11 apartments in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, setting a deadline of March 23, 2026, for the families to leave their homes.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center reported that joint teams from the Israeli Enforcement and Collection Authority, accompanied by occupation forces, raided homes belonging to the al-Rajabi family in Batn al-Hawa and handed them final eviction notices. The orders are based on claims of “Jewish ownership” of the land on which the homes were built.
The eviction notices, according to the center, are directed at three residential buildings: one apartment belonging to Fathi al-Rajabi, a resident of Jerusalem; a six-apartment building owned by Nidal al-Rajabi; and a four-apartment building owned by Yaqub al-Rajabi. The decision threatens around 60 family members with forced displacement and homelessness.
Residents of Batn al-Hawa have faced a long series of eviction orders over many years, issued by Israeli courts at various levels, starting with magistrate and district courts and reaching the Supreme Court, which has consistently upheld the rulings. Following these judicial decisions, the Enforcement and Collection Authority moves to carry out evictions on the ground.
Earlier this month, on February 3, Israeli authorities delivered final eviction orders to Salah and Naim Muragha for parts of their homes located on land also claimed as Jewish-owned, along with a family parking area. The family was given 21 days to comply with the decision.
Last month, the Enforcement and Collection Authority issued eviction warnings for 32 residential apartments in the same neighborhood under the same legal case, granting residents 21 days to vacate their homes.
For more than a decade, Batn al-Hawa families have fought legal battles in all Israeli courts after receiving sudden notifications claiming Jewish ownership of the land dating back to 1881, attributed to Jews of Yemeni origin. Throughout these years, families submitted official documents and property deeds in an effort to defend their homes. Israeli courts, however, continued to rule in favor of settler organizations.
The eviction orders form part of a broader settlement plan led by the settler organization Ateret Cohanim, which seeks control over an estimated area of five dunams and 200 square meters in the central section of Batn al-Hawa. The organization bases its claims on alleged historical ownership of the land.
Ateret Cohanim delivered its first legal notice to local families roughly ten years ago, triggering a prolonged series of court hearings. The first eviction ruling was issued by a magistrate court in 2020, followed by additional decisions that led to the enforcement of several evictions in favor of settlers.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center noted that Israeli authorities have taken control of properties belonging to the Shahada, Sarhan, Ghaith, Abu Nab, Odeh, Shuweiki, al-Rajabi, and Basbous families over recent years under the same ownership claims.
It added that Ateret Cohanim has seized more than 30 residential properties in Batn al-Hawa since 2016, including dozens of apartments and homes, with eviction operations intensifying in recent months alongside the rejection of appeals.
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