According to multiple outlets, the Israeli government has established an inter-ministerial team to investigate the potential confiscation of properties along Chain Gate Street—a key thoroughfare in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter that serves as its northern boundary and leads directly to the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa compound.

The team, headed by the director general of the Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ministry, will operate under a one-year timeline to submit an actionable plan for potential expropriation of dozens of buildings. Channel 12 reports this initiative aims to “further the development and strengthening of the Israeli capital” and exert full control over the Jewish Quarter.

Officials estimate the move could result in the seizure of approximately 50 properties, displacing Muslim families who currently reside there to make way for Jewish tenants. The Finance Ministry has raised concerns about the decision potentially triggering international backlash due to the street’s sensitive proximity to the Temple Mount.

Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher with Ir Amim, an NGO advocating for Palestinian Jerusalemites, characterized the proposed confiscations as “an aggressive step.” A source within the Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Tradition Ministry told N12 that while the properties are officially state-owned on paper, the team’s goal is to reconcile decisions made nearly 60 years ago with current realities on the ground.

Hamas issued a Telegram statement condemning the initiative, stating: “The occupation government’s decision to expropriate dozens of residential buildings in the vicinity of al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem represents a dangerous step that directly targets the Palestinian existence… We call for strengthening the support for the people of Jerusalem, intensifying all means of resistance and confrontation against colonial-settlement projects.”