The Israeli occupation authorities on Tuesday demolished residential sheds sheltering Palestinian families in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.

Local sources told WAFA news agency that Israeli police escorted bulldozers into Ras Kabseh area in the neighborhood, where the heavy machineries tore down the sheds belonging to a member of the Abu Rumoz family, displacing his entire family.

Using the pretext of illegal building, Israel demolishes houses on a regular basis to restrict Palestinian expansion in occupied Jerusalem.

At the same time, the municipality and government build tens of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements in East Jerusalem for Jewish settlers with a goal to offset the demographic balance in favor of the Jewish population in the occupied city.

Although Palestinians in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian Territory, have been subject to Israeli occupation since 1967, they are denied their citizenship rights and are instead classified only as "residents" whose permits can be revoked if they move away from the city for more than a few years.