Occupied Jerusalem, ALRAY - Israeli occupation forces compelled the Jerusalemite Hassan Jaafar to self-demolish his home on Wednesday. The house, situated in the historic Old City of occupied Jerusalem, overlooked the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque.

 Jaafar, a resident of the "Haret al-Saadiya" neighborhood, explained in a statement to the press that he was forced by the occupation municipality to self-demolish his house under the pretext of unauthorized construction. The house, measuring approximately 50 square meters, was inhabited by his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren.

Jaafar further revealed that the occupation municipality had notified him of a court-issued decision to demolish his home within a short period, despite his ongoing efforts to obtain the necessary building permits. He chose to self-demolish his home in order to avoid hefty fines imposed by the municipality, should they proceed with the demolition using their machinery.

Last month, the Jerusalem Governorate, under the authority of the Palestinian government, documented the demolition and excavation of 36 structures and lands in occupied Jerusalem. Among these were eight structures that were forcibly self-demolished, in addition to 14 instances of land excavation and digging.