In May: 7,244 Settlers Stormed Al-Aqsa and 84 Demolition Operations in Jerusalem

SadaNews - The month of May witnessed a noticeable escalation in Israeli violations against Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem, including widespread incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, arrests, demolition and leveling operations, as well as assaults carried out by settlers against citizens and their property.

According to the monthly report issued by the Jerusalem Governorate, 7,244 settlers stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the past month, while occupation forces arrested 101 Palestinians, including 3 women and 9 children, during raids that targeted various neighborhoods and towns in the city.

The largest campaign of arrests was recorded in the town of Hizma on May 20, where 27 citizens were arrested in one day.

The governorate also documented the martyrdom of three Palestinians due to assaults by the occupation in areas north of Jerusalem and its surroundings, in addition to 17 injuries that varied between live and rubber bullets, beatings, and gas inhalation, as well as injuries resulting from attacks by settlers.

Injuries were concentrated in Al-Ram, Qalandia camp, Hizma, Silwan, and Beit Iksa.

In the context of settler assaults, the report recorded 45 attacks during the month, including 9 physical assaults targeting citizens, their property, Bedouin gatherings, and holy sites, amid an escalation of settlement activity in the city and its surroundings.

The report indicated that the occupation authorities issued 15 sentences and decisions against Jerusalemites, including 10 administrative detention orders, in addition to actual prison sentences and imposing fines.

It also issued 8 house arrest decisions ranging in duration from 4 to 10 days, along with 67 expulsion orders from Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City targeting defenders, activists, journalists, and released prisoners.

Regarding demolitions and leveling, the governorate documented 84 operations, including 21 cases of forced self-demolition, 56 demolitions carried out by occupation machinery, and 7 leveling operations, concentrated in Al-Ram, Al-Eizariya, Silwan, Sur Baher, Jabal Mukaber, and Qalandia. The most notable was the demolition of about 40 structures in the Al-Mushtal area of Al-Eizariya.

The report also recorded 20 notifications and decisions for demolition, evacuation, a halt to construction, and land confiscation, as well as monitoring 15 new settlement plans which included the construction of hundreds of settlement units and the expansion of the "Ma'ale Adumim" settlement on large areas of Palestinian land.

The Jerusalem Governorate affirmed that these data reflect the continued policies of occupation aimed at imposing new realities on the ground and accelerating the pace of settlement expansion, in parallel with the escalation of violations against the Palestinian population, their sacred sites, and their property.