October 2023 in the city of Jerusalem
The city of Jerusalem witnessed many surprises and events every day of last October. How could it not, since it was the subject of a war that broke out on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip, and is still ongoing.
The martyrs, wounded, prisoners, and demolished homes of the city of Jerusalem were part of the general scene that the Palestinian territories were experiencing, and a reflection of the state of anger and violent reaction by the government and the occupation forces, so Israeli violations escalated at all levels.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem, monitored violations in the city of Jerusalem during the month of October, which were concentrated during the first days of the month in Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings, during the “Jewish Sukkot” holiday, and violations escalated in the city in the second week of the month with the beginning of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” Operation by imposing a siege on Al-Aqsa and the Old City, shooting and killing Palestinians and detaining their bodies, arrests, raids, confiscations and imposing various fines, demolishing homes and displacing dozens of people.
Al-Aqsa Mosque
Throughout last October, the occupation authorities isolated Al-Aqsa Mosque from its surroundings, imposed a strict siege on it and restricted entry to it.
The most prominent violations in Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of October, according to chronological order:
1-5/10/2023, “the days of Sukkot”: 5,739 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, during the morning and afternoon incursion periods, through the Dung Gate, the keys of which have been controlled by the occupation authorities since the occupation of the city of Jerusalem. Members of the Knesset, rabbis, and senior officials in the city participated in the raids in addition to organizations and groups of the “Alleged Temple”. Some of them brought plant offerings and performed collective prayers at Al-Aqsa.
Throughout the days of Sukkot, the occupation forces imposed restrictions on the entry of worshipers from the Dawn prayer until the Afternoon prayer “until the end of the two incursion periods,” by preventing the entry of boys, women, and young men, and imposing severe restrictions on the entry of elderly that are residents of Jerusalem and the Palestinian 1948 lands, while the people of the West Bank were denied entry. The forces prevented them from entering and praying at Al-Aqsa “despite having permits to enter Jerusalem and passing through the checkpoints set up at the entrances to the city.”
Worshipers performed dawn and noon prayers at the thresholds of Al-Aqsa, during the days of Sukkot.
The same applied to the Old City during the days of Sukkot. The forces deliberately evacuated the vicinity of the gates of Al-Aqsa and prevented the presence of worshipers. The area of Al-Silsileh Gate - which is one of the main roads leading to Al-Aqsa - witnessed repeated attacks on the worshippers stationed in the area, with arrests, beatings, dragging, and preventing them from being present.
Throughout the days of Sukkot, the settlers held collective prayers and marches at the gates of Al-Aqsa from the outside and in the alleys of the Old City. The occupation authorities turned the Old City of Jerusalem into a military zone, deploying forces at the gates of Al-Aqsa and the streets and alleys of the Old City, searching young men and women and checking their identities as they walked through the streets of the city.
Since October 7th, with the beginning of Al-Aqsa Flood Operation, and until this day, the occupation authorities have imposed a strict siege on Al-Aqsa Mosque, preventing young people from entering it and praying in it, imposing restrictions on the entry of the elderly, and trying to prevent them from accessing it under the pretext that “entry is for the elderly that are residents of the Old City.” The forces also assaulted 3 employees of the Islamic Endowments Department and prevented them from heading to work.
The occupation forces set up their checkpoints in the corridors of Al-Aqsa Mosque and are stationed at its gates. They examine identities and physically search bags and suitcases of every person who tries to enter the mosque.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center explained that the forces are trying to prevent prayers at the gates of Al-Aqsa for young men who are prevented from entering it, by chasing, screaming, and beating them several times.
During Fridays (13/20/27 - October), the measures and restrictions taken prevented thousands of worshipers from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Islamic Endowments Department estimated the number of worshipers on each Friday at only 5,000 worshipers who were able to reach the mosque.
The center explained that since the morning hours of Fridays, the forces have been deployed in the streets of Jerusalem and the neighborhoods close to it, preventing young people from reaching the Old City and reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque, and trying to prevent prayers in the streets of Jerusalem.
The center pointed out that the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood - one of the neighborhoods closest to Al-Aqsa Mosque - witnessed, over the past three Fridays, suppression of prayers and attacks on worshipers with sound bombs, gas bombs, and waste water.
The center added that the forces suppressed prayers by beating and pushing them in the alleys of the Old City, in the Ras al-Amoud neighborhood, and in the Lions Gate area.
The condition of the Old City is no different from that of Al-Aqsa. The forces transformed the Old City and its surrounding streets into a military zone, by deploying forces at the gates, and the infantry units walk in the city’s alleys and neighborhoods, being stationed at several points, subjecting the young men to physical searches, making them stand against the walls, and conducting field investigations with them, and imposing restrictions on the entry of young men go to the city, and most of them are prevented from entering it through the main gates, which are “Lions, Hutta, and Herods.”
Since the first day of the Al-Aqsa flood Operation, the forces continue to prevent sitting in Damascus Gate Square.
In the face of the scene of preventing Muslims from entering Al-Aqsa, settlers continue their incursions, during the morning and afternoon periods, and their prayers continue in the mosque.
Deportation decisions
The occupation authorities continued to restrict freedom of movement and worship by issuing various deportation decisions, and the center monitored 49 deportation decisions that included “deportation from Al-Aqsa, deportation from the Old City, deportation from the city of Jerusalem, prohibition of entering the West Bank, and deportation from the streets of the city; areas in East Jerusalem and areas in West Jerusalem.
Martyrs
9/10/2023: The boy, Adam Amjad Al-Julani, 16 years old, died at the Qalandia military checkpoint, while he was in a vehicle with his friends in the area, coinciding with the outbreak of confrontations.
10/10/2023: The young man, Ali Al-Abbasi “Abeesan”, 24 years old, died during confrontations in the town of Silwan. He was injured, interrogated on the ground, beaten, and left to bleed without treatment until his death was announced, and his body was detained.
10/10/2023: The young man, Abdul Rahman Faraj, 18 years old, died during confrontations in the town of Silwan. After being injured, he was detained and assaulted by beating and pushing him. He was left to bleed without treatment until his death was announced, and his body was detained.
12/10/2023: 12 members of the Al-Halisi family died after their homes in the Gaza Strip were targeted. They are the two freed Jerusalemite prisoners deported from the city of Jerusalem, Abdel Nasser Daoud Al-Halisi, 64 years old, and his brother Tariq Daoud Al-Halisi, 57 years old, and all members of their families, namely:
Arwa Mohammad Al-Halisi, 36 years old, Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Nasser al-Halisi, 2 years, Abd al-Aziz Abd al-Nasser al-Halisi, 4 years, Batoul Abd al-Nasser al-Halisi, 5 years, Abdullah Abd al-Nasser al-Halisi, 9 years, Mohammad Abd al-Nasser al-Halisi, 10 years. Amneh Saeed Al-Halisi, 40 years old, Ola Tariq Al-Halisi, 11 years old, Ziad Tariq Al-Halisi, 9 years old, Ali Tariq Al-Halisi, 8 years old.
It is noteworthy that the forces arrested the two Halisi brothers on 16/10/1986 and sentenced them to life imprisonment, then they were released in the “Wafa Al-Ahrar” prisoners exchange deal in 2011” and were deported to the Gaza Strip.
12/10/2023: The young Jerusalemite, Khaled Abdel Fattah al-Muhtaseb, died after an armed clash took place at the Salah al-Din Street police station in the city of Jerusalem, and his body was detained.
13/10/2023: The boy, Mohammad Taher Mustafa, 16 years old, died during confrontations in the village of Issawiya.
13/10/2023: The 17-year-old boy, Laith Abu Murra, died during confrontations in the village of Issawiya.
14/10/2023: Abdul Rahman Al-Amouri died after bullets were fired at his vehicle at the entrance to the village of Issawiya, under the pretext of attempting to carry out a ramming attack, and his body was detained.
18/10/2023: Announcing the discovery of the body of the young man Suhaib Al-Razem, in the Gaza Strip, with the loss of his traces on the first day of Al-Aqsa Flood Operation, where he was working on a truck. The family learned on the first day that their son was detained in the Gaza Strip, and they were surprised afterwards that his body was found in the Gaza envelope, and after conducting DNA tests, it was confirmed that the body belonged to the young man Suhaib, and he was handed over to his family and buried in the city of Jerusalem.
30/10/2023: Adam Nasser Abulhawa, 17 years old, was shot dead by the occupation forces on Nablus Street in Jerusalem, under the pretext of “carrying out a stabbing attack.”
The information center said that the occupation authorities continue to detain the bodies of seventeen Jerusalemite martyrs in refrigerators: the body of the martyr Mesbah Abu Sbeih (since October 2016), the body of the martyr Fadi al-Qunbar (since January 2017), the body of the martyr Aziz Aweisat (since May 2018), and the two martyrs Shaher Abu Khadija and Zuhdi al-Tawil (since May 2021), the martyr Fadi Abu Shkheidem (since November 2021), the martyr Karim Jamal al-Qawasmi (since March 2022), the body of martyr Uday Al-Tamimi (since October 2022), the body of Amer Hussam Halabiya (since November 2022), the body of the martyr Khairy Alqam (since January 2023), the body of martyr Hussein Qaraqe’ (since February 2023), the body of the martyr Ishaq Ajlouni (since June 2023), the body of martyr Khaled Za’anin (since August 2023), the bodies of Ali Abbasi, Abdel Rahman Faraj, Khaled Al-Muhtaseb and Adam Abulhawa (since October 2023).
Punishment and persecution of the families of the martyrs and Jerusalemite prisoners
Persecutions, imposition of penalties, and attacks on the families of Jerusalemite prisoners and martyrs have intensified since the start of Al-Aqsa Flood Operation, with dozens of freed prisoners’ homes being raided, their contents vandalized, random arrests carried out, administrative detention decisions issued, and violations imposed on families.
The occupation forces stormed the house of the martyr Khaled Al-Muhtaseb in Beit Hanina several times, and on the day of his martyrdom they searched and completely vandalized the house. Days later, they returned and asked the family to vacate the house, and engineering crews took measurements of the house and photographed it.
The forces also stormed the house of the martyr Adam Abulhawa in Al-Tur, and searched and completely destroyed the contents of the house.
During the last week of October, the forces, accompanied by crews from the municipality and intelligence, stormed several homes of freed prisoners, took measurements of the homes and buildings, photographed them, and delivered demolition orders “under the pretext of building without a license,” or summons to follow up with the municipality.
The occupation municipality crews issued fines to the families of martyrs and prisoners, under various pretexts: “the presence of waste residue in the courtyard of the house or at the door of the house, the presence of weeds at the door of the house, unlicensed sidewalk pavement.”
The licenses of vehicles and motorcycles belonging to freed prisoners were also cancelled.
Demolition and displacement
The occupation municipality continued its demolition operations in the city of Jerusalem, in addition to issuing demolition decisions and summons orders to the municipality for residential buildings in which “families of Jerusalemite martyrs” live.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem monitored 22 demolition operations in the city of Jerusalem, half of which were carried out by their owners based on decisions from the municipality in order to avoid paying financial fines “as a demolition fee for the forces, the municipality, and vehicles.”
The municipality also forced the people of Issawiya to remove the “minaret of the Al-Tawbah Mosque,” under the pretext of not having a license.
The center explained that most of the demolitions are of inhabited homes.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center explained that the occupation municipality delivered summons to residents of residential buildings in Jerusalem, “before issuing a demolition decision,” under the pretext that one of the houses belonged to the family of a martyr.
Arrests
The occupation authorities carried out massive arrest campaigns in the city of Jerusalem, and the number of detainees doubled during the war on the Gaza Strip.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem explained that the arrests from homes were carried out after an extensive search and vandalism of all the contents of the house (clothes, kitchen, closets, outdoor courtyards). Intentional vandalism of furniture and electrical appliances was observed, in addition to vandalism of family photos. In one of the houses, demolition of the interior walls using manual demolition tools.
During the arrest operations - according to documented testimonies from families and detainees - the forces deliberately interrogated the family members in separate rooms inside the house before arresting the “wanted person.” They also deliberately beat the detainee in front of his family members, and recorded several cases of beatings and wounds, bruises and scratches resulting from the arrest. The forces also deliberately searched and confiscated mobile phones on many occasions.
Mobile checkpoints in the city of Jerusalem also turned into places for field investigations, detention, and abuse of Jerusalemites - as several cases were documented - and the forces forced detainees to take photos them with the Israeli flag. They also deliberately searched cell phones, examined photos and accounts of social media platforms, and examined the most prominent views and images.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem monitored 437 arrests from the city of Jerusalem during the month of October, including “5 children/under the age of responsibility (less than 12 years), 83 boys, 36 females, including 3 girls.”
The center noted that from the seventh of October until the end of the month, it monitored 410 arrests in Jerusalem.
The center added that the forces carried out arrests and summons to the families of the Jerusalemite martyrs.
The center also explained that dozens of arrests were on suspicion of “incitement” for publishing “certain verses, hadiths, and phrases” about the Gaza Strip, and indictments were filed against some of them, while most of them were released on the condition of “not to use social media.”
The occupation authorities escalated administrative detention decisions, and the Wadi Hilweh Jerusalem Information Center monitored the transfer of 21 Jerusalemites to administrative detention.
Governor of Jerusalem
At the end of October, the occupation forces summoned the Governor of Jerusalem, Adnan Ghaith, and handed him a “decision preventing him from entering the West Bank.” The center pointed out that the occupation imposed house arrest on the Governor of Jerusalem Ghaith in his home in the town of Silwan, since August 2022, after the Israeli prosecution submitted an indictment that included “17 violations of the decision preventing him from entering the West Bank” from the moment the decision was issued, and today the prosecution is demanding that he be transferred to actual prison.
Since Governor Ghaith took office in 2018, several restrictions have been imposed on him and are renewed upon their expiration, most notably “house arrest in his place of residence in Silwan, travel-ban, entry-ban to the West Bank, and a ban on participation in any event in Jerusalem.”
Miscellaneous
Last October, settlers, while walking and praying in the alleys of the Old City, attacked Christians, pilgrims, and churches in the Old City, by spitting and directing insults, and this was repeated several times in the first week of last month.
Settlers attacked Jerusalemites in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, throwing Molotov cocktails at two houses, and smashing the windows of more than 7 vehicles in the neighborhood. Settlers also attacked the people of the Al-Sowaneh neighborhood with stones twice during the past month.
Sirens sounded in the city of Jerusalem and the sounds of explosions were heard several times since October 7.
Confrontations broke out in the towns and neighborhoods of the city of Jerusalem: Jabal al-Mukabber, Sur Baher, Silwan, al-Tur, al-Issawiya, al-Sowaneh, Wadi al-Joz, Issawiya, Shu’fat refugee camp, and Beit Hanina. The occupation used live bullets several times in the city, in addition to gas and sound bombs and rubber bullets and wastewater.
With the first days of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation and the war on the Gaza Strip, mourning spread in the city of Jerusalem, and on the eighteenth of last month, a general strike took place in the city to mourn the souls of the victims of the massacre in the Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip.
The occupation authorities placed cement cubes “on the sidewalks and sides of the road” of towns and neighborhoods in the city of Jerusalem, while the forces established mobile checkpoints in a number of areas.
