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The year 2023 in the city of Jerusalem

January 1, 2024

Perhaps the year 2023 will bear the title of the year of the “War on Gaza” or the year of the “Al-Aqsa Flood.” Perhaps the images of thousands of martyrs, the wounded, and the destruction from the Gaza Strip will be the main images of this year, but if we turn the film back a few weeks, we will see images of the storming of thousands of extremist settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially during their holidays, “New Year... Kippur... Sukkot”, and backwards again we will see the procession of the flags dance and the assaults of the settlers, and backwards also we will see the occupation forces brutally attacking the fasting worshipers and those stationed in Al-Aqsa Mosque.

In this year's footage, we will see attacks on churches and monasteries, destroying the statue of the Virgin Mary, tombstones and crosses, and spitting and insulting Christians during their holidays.

We will see pictures of bullets and martyrs... vehicles and demolitions... storming and arrests... courts and deportations. We will see punishments for the families of prisoners and martyrs, suppression of events and activities, restrictions on the media, even searching students’ bags and searching for a book bearing the “Eagle” logo, and threats to schools.

Perhaps our memory will not have enough space for the hundreds of pictures and events that took place in the city of Jerusalem this year, but the Wadi Hilweh Information Center documented and detailed in its annual report the most prominent violations that occurred at various levels, and presented them in the following report:

Martyrs of Jerusalem

There were many causes of killing in the city of Jerusalem this year, either by bullets from the occupation forces or by bullets from settlers.

Martyrs rose during confrontations in the city, or after being targeted by gunfire under the pretext of “carrying out a shooting, run-over, or stabbing operations,” or during the bombing in the Gaza Strip, and they are in the following chronological order:

1. 25/1/2023 The 16-year-old boy, Mohammad Mohammad Ali, from Shu’fat refugee camp, was martyred after being targeted by a bullet in the chest, during confrontations with forces in the camp.

2. 27/1/2023 The young man, Khairy Musa Alqam, 21 years old, from the town of Silwan, was shot dead by occupation soldiers, after carrying out a “shooting” operation inside the “Nabi Yaqoub” settlement north of Jerusalem, which led to the killing of 7 settlers and the wounding of others with varying injuries.

3. 27/1//2023 The boy, Wadi’ Aziz Abu Rammouz, 16 years old, from the town of Silwan, died two days after he was injured during confrontations in the town.

4. 10/2/2023 The young man Hussein Khaled Qaraqe’, from the village of Issawiya, was martyred after settlers and police fired bullets at him, on “Ramot Settlement” Street, under the pretext of carrying out a run-over attack that led to the killing and injury of settlers.

5. 24/4/2023 The young man Hatem Abu Najma, 39 years old, from the town of Beit Safafa, was shot dead by a settler, under the pretext of carrying out a run-over attack on “Jaffa Street” west of Jerusalem.

6. 24/6/2023 The boy Ishaq Hamdi Al-Ajlouni, 17 years old, from the Kufor Aqab neighborhood, was shot dead by the occupation forces at the Qalandia military checkpoint, under the pretext of “carrying out a shooting operation at the checkpoint and wounding one of the guards.”

7. 17/8/2023 The young man, Ahmed Abu Sneineh, died as a result of wounds he sustained two years ago during the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacking worshipers during Al-Taraweeh prayers in 2021.

8. 30/8/2023 The 14-year-old boy, Khaled Samer Za’aneen, died after bullets were fired at him at the light rail station in Jerusalem, under the pretext of carrying out a stabbing attack at the station.

9. 10/9/2023 The boy, Adam Amjad Al-Julani, 16 years old, died at the Qalandia military checkpoint, while he was in a vehicle with his friends, coinciding with the outbreak of confrontations.

10. 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, assaulted and beaten, and left to bleed without treatment until his martyrdom was announced.

11. 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, assaulted, beaten and pushed, and left to bleed without treatment until his martyrdom was announced.

12. 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 the family are: Arwa Mohammad Al-Halisi, 36 years old, Abdul Rahman Abdel Nasser Al-Halisi “2 years old”, Abdel Aziz Abdel Nasser Al-Halisi “4 years old”, Batoul Abdel Nasser Al-Halisi “5 years old”, Abdullah Abdel Nasser Al-Halisi “9 years old”, Mohammad Abdel Nasser Al-Halisi 10 years old, Amneh Saeed Al-Halisi 40 years old, Ola Tariq Al-Halisi, 11 years old, Ziad Tariq Al-Halisi, 9 years old, and 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 2011 prisoners exchange deal and deported to the Gaza Strip.

13. 12/10/2023 The young man, Khaled Abdel Fattah Al-Muhtaseb, was killed after an armed clash that took place at the “Salah Al-Din Street” police station, in Jerusalem.

14. 13/10/2023 The boy, Mohammad Taher Mustafa, 16 years old, died during confrontations in the village of Issawiya.

15. 13/10/2023 The 17-year-old boy, Laith Abu Murra, died during confrontations in the village of Issawiya.

16. 18/10/2023 The martyr Suhaib Al-Razem: announcing the discovery of a body in the Gaza Strip, after his traces were lost on the first day of Al-Aqsa Flood Operation, as he was working on a truck, and the family learned on the first day that their son was detained in the Gaza Strip, and they were later surprised that he was found in the Gaza envelope, and after conducting DNA tests, it was confirmed that the body belonged to the young man Suhaib. He was handed over to his family and buried in the city of Jerusalem.

17. 30/10/2023 Adam Nasser Abu Al-Hawa, 17 years old, was shot dead by the occupation forces on Nablus Street in Jerusalem, under the pretext of “carrying out a stabbing attack.”

18. 2/11/2023 The young man, Yazan Othman Shiha, 23 years old, from the town of Anata, was shot dead by the occupation forces, during the storming of the city of Al-Bireh.

19. 6/11/2023 The 16-year-old boy, Mohammad Omar Al-Farroukh, died after he was shot, under the pretext of “carrying out a stabbing attack at the Salah Al-Din Street police station.”

20. 25/11/2023 The freed prisoner deported from the city of Jerusalem, Mohammad Ibrahim Hamada, was announced dead during the bombing of the Gaza Strip. It is noteworthy that the martyr Mohammad Hamada was arrested in August 1997, and was sentenced to actual imprisonment for a period of 28 years, of which he served 14 years. He was liberated in the “Loyalty of the Free” deal in 2011, and deported to the Gaza Strip.

21. 30/11/2023 The young man, Murad Nimer, 38 years old, died after carrying out a shooting attack at the western entrance to Jerusalem.

22. 30/11/2023 The young man, Ibrahim Nimer, 30 years old, died after carrying out a shooting attack at the western entrance to Jerusalem.

23. 28/12/2023 The young man, Ahmed Adeeb Alayan, 23 years old, was killed after carrying out a stabbing attack at the Mazmoria checkpoint.

Detaining martyrs’ bodies

The occupation authorities continue the policy of “detaining the bodies of martyrs in refrigerators,” and the Wadi Hilweh Information Center explained that the number of bodies of Jerusalemite martyrs increased significantly this year and reached 21 martyrs. They are:

1. Martyr Mesbah Abu Sbeih; since October 2016

2. Martyr Fadi Al-Qunbar; since January 2017

3. Martyr Aziz Aweisat; since May 2018

4. Martyrs Shaher Abu Khadija; since May 2021

5. Zuhdi Al-Taweel; since May 2021

6. Martyr Fadi Abu Shkheidem; since November 2021

7. Martyr Karim Jamal Al-Qawasmi; since March 2022

8. Martyr Uday Al-Tamimi; since October 2022

9. Martyr Amer Halabiya; since November 2022

10. Martyr Khairy Alqam; since January 2023

11. Martyr Hussein Qaraqe; since February 2023

12. Martyr Ishaq Al-Ajlouni; since June 2023

13. Martyr Khaled Al-Za’anin; since August 2023

14. Martyr Ali Al-Abbasi; since October 2023

15. Martyr Abdel Rahman Faraj; since October 2023

16. Martyr Khaled Al-Muhtaseb; since October 2023

17. Martyr Adam Abulhawa; since October 2023

18. Martyr Mohammad Omar Al-Farroukh (minor); since November 2023

19. Martyr Murad Nimer; since November 2023

20. Martyr Ibrahim Nimer; since November 2023

21. Martyr Ahmad Alayan; since December 2023

Injuries by occupation forces and settlers

Pulling the trigger was the quickest decision for the occupation soldiers and settlers to injure and kill Jerusalemites, under various pretexts and reasons, as the Information Center monitored the shooting operations according to the following chronological order:

• 25/1/2023 The boy Mohammad Badran was injured while being targeted by a bullet in the town of Silwan.

• 28/1/2023 The boy, Mahmoud Mohammad Aleiwat, 13 years old, from the town of Silwan, was seriously injured by settlers’ bullets, after carrying out a “shooting” operation on Wadi Hilweh Street in the town. He was targeted by bullets during his arrest, and he remained in the hospital in a critical condition until an indictment was filed against him and he was transferred to an “internal institute.”

• 13/2/2023 The young man, Rami Hamouda, was injured while driving his vehicle in the Shu’fat refugee camp in Jerusalem, after being targeted by bullets during the forces’ storming of the camp. One of them hit him in the abdomen and came out of his back. He was arrested from inside the ambulance while he was bleeding and receiving treatment.

• 4/4/2023 The boy, Omar Ibrahim Abu Mayaleh, 15 years old, was injured in the Bi’er Ayoub neighborhood in the town of Silwan. He underwent two surgeries, after being hit by two bullets, “one in the abdomen and one in the foot.” After several days in the hospital, he was transferred to prison, and an indictment was filed against him.

• 6/4/2023 The Jerusalemite boy, Khader Ghorab, was injured in the shoulder by settler bullets, near his house in the Old City.

• 7/4/2023 The boy, Mohammad Yehya Al-Abbasi, 17 years old, from the town of Silwan, was injured in the abdomen, causing internal bleeding and a ruptured spleen. He was arrested despite the injury.

• 17/4/2023 The young man, Abdul Karim Abu Ta’a, was injured in the stomach while walking in the “Nabi Yaqoub” settlement in Beit Hanina in Jerusalem. The occupation police claimed that the young man had vandalized other vehicles.

• 3/5/2023 The young man, Anas Kayed Abu Hussein, 29 years old, from the village of Jabal al-Mukabber, was injured during the forces’ erection of a checkpoint in the Al-Khader area in the city of Bethlehem. He was hit by 6 bullets in the thigh and abdomen.

• 10/5/2023 The young man Thaer Bkeirat was injured by 3 bullets “in the thigh, abdomen and leg”, during confrontations in the village of Sur Baher, and he was arrested from the site of the injury.

• 18/8/2023 The boy, Abdul Rahman Amer Al-Zaghal, 14 years old, from the town of Silwan, was injured by a bullet in the head and fragments of another bullet in the lower part of his body. He was arrested and transferred to the hospital while under arrest.

• 18/8/2023 The young man, Raed Khalaf Al-Khatib, was injured after his vehicle was shot at during the occupation forces’ storming of Shu’fat refugee camp.

• 21/9/2023 The young man, Daoud A’ed Attiya, 19 years old, was seriously injured, after he was shot at one of the “light train” stations at the entrance to the town of Shu’fat, north of Jerusalem, under the pretext of “stabbing one of the guards at the station.”

Al-Aqsa Mosque... Siege... Serious attacks and violations

Another year has passed on Al-Aqsa Mosque that was full of violations and measures against the mosque and its worshippers, in an attempt to Judaize it and extend full sovereignty over it. As every year, Jewish groups exploit the holiday seasons and public events to pass policies and implement programs in Al-Aqsa, perhaps the most notable of which is the imposition of a tight siege on it since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip “October 7”, imposing a policy of temporal and spatial division during the period of raids and holidays, raising Israeli flags in the squares, blowing the trumpet, introducing plant sacrifices, blessings of marriage, purification and puberty, commemorating the dead settlers and soldiers, and praying for the Israeli prisoners.

Instead of the month of Ramadan being a month of worship for Muslims and drawing closer to God, Al-Aqsa has turned into an arena of confrontation, oppression, and assault on its sanctity.

As for the “daily incursions” into Al-Aqsa, which were carried out under the supervision and guard of the occupation forces through the Dung Gate, the keys of which have been controlled by the occupation authorities since the occupation of Jerusalem, they took place in two periods, “morning and afternoon”, and the incursions were carried out daily with the exception of Fridays, Saturdays, holidays and religious occasions, and the groups of intruders marched towards the square of Al-Qibli Mosque to the eastern region of Al-Aqsa “usually where various prayers are performed” as it is the main gate of the alleged temple, and from there the groups continue their walk towards the gates of Al-Aqsa “the northern wall”, passing through the Lions’ Gates, Hutta Gate, King Faisal Gate, then south towards Al-Qattaneen Gate, then exit through Al-Silsileh Gate.

During the settlers’ incursions into Al-Aqsa, especially on Jewish holidays, they performed their public and collective prayers.

The Islamic Endowments Department said that 48,223 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa during the year 2023.

A large number of violations were recorded in Al-Aqsa Mosque, and they were monitored by the Information Center according to the following chronological sequence:

• 3/1/2023 Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gavir stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, on the occasion of the beginning of the “fast on the tenth of Tevet” according to the Hebrew calendar.

• 17/1/2023 The occupation police intercepted the Jordanian Ambassador, Ghassan Al-Majali, as he entered Al-Aqsa Mosque through Lions Gate, under the pretext that he had not obtained prior permission to enter the mosque, and arrested him and prevented him from entering.

• 23/1/2023 “The Hebrew New Moon” 309 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, led by Knesset member Yitzhak Crozier, accompanied by his father, Rabbi Yehuda Crozier, and his mother. On the same day, two settlers raised the Israeli flag while they were in Al-Aqsa and sang the “national anthem” and chanted racist chants, while another group performed collective prostration near al-Qattaneen Gate, in addition to performing collective public rituals on the eastern side.

• At the end of March, the occupation police extended the period of raids by half an hour, closing the Dung Gate at 11:30 a.m. instead of 11:00 a.m.

• 23/3/2023 The forces stormed the Al-Qibli prayer hall and arrested two young men that were stationed inside it (I’tikaf).

• 24/3/2023 and 31/3/2023, “the first and second Fridays of the month of Ramadan,” the forces stormed Al-Aqsa and removed and confiscated a banner hung on the wall of one of the buildings. On the first Friday, they attacked the fasting worshipers by pushing and beating them during the storming.

• 26/3/2023 The occupation forces stormed the Al-Qibli prayer hall in the mosque, expelled the men and women from it, prevented them from remaining there, and arrested some of them, and also assaulted some of them during their exit from Al-Aqsa.

• 2/4/2023 (Ramadan 11), the occupation forces stormed Al-Aqsa, and evacuated those in I’tikaf from inside the Al-Qibli prayer hall after threatening them with arrest.

• 3/4/2023 (Ramadan 12), the occupation forces stormed Al-Aqsa again, and evacuated the people from inside the Al-Qibli prayer hall after threatening them with arrest.

• 4/4/2023 (Ramadan 13) During Al-Taraweeh prayers, the occupation forces imposed a siege on the gates of Al-Aqsa and prevented entry.

• 5/4/2023 (Ramadan 14) The occupation forces in large numbers and various teams stormed the Al-Qibli prayer hall, after occupying its roof, completely besieging it, and forcefully evacuating Al-Aqsa’s courtyards. Under a barrage of bombs, rubber bullets, and pepper gas, the forces stormed the prayer hall and assaulted the young men and women in I’tikaf by severely beating them with their guns, sticks, chairs, and rugs. Then they forcibly removed the women and arrested the young men and boys. The number of detainees reached 440 people.

• On the same day, the forces stormed Al-Aqsa again at dawn prayer and assaulted the worshipers in the squares. Then they stormed it again in the morning hours “at the beginning of the settlers’ incursions period” and assaulted the worshipers by beating and arresting them.

• 2/4/2023 - 12/4/2023 During the “Jewish Passover” period, 3,430 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, amid attacks and preventing Muslims from entering it.

• On several days during the month of Ramadan, as well as on the first day of Eid al-Fiter, the occupation forces stormed Al-Aqsa and removed the Palestinian banners and flags that were hung on the buildings.

• 24/4/2023 The occupation police cut off the sound of the evening call to prayer in Al-Aqsa, coinciding with celebrations in Al-Buraq Square to commemorate the “dead of Israel.”

• 22-24/4/2023 The forces stormed the Bab al-Rahma prayer hall in Al-Aqsa, vandalized the electrical extensions and cables inside the prayer hall, and confiscated fans, heaters, lighting, prayer rugs, electrical connections, headphones, and wooden dividers.

• 18/5/2023 On the anniversary of the so-called unification of Jerusalem (the occupation of the eastern part of Jerusalem according to the Hebrew calendar), 1,262 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa, including the Minister of the Negev and Galilee in the occupation government, members of the Knesset from the Likud Party, and rabbis, and they placed posters in the eastern region that carried the Israeli flag and the phrase "The Temple Mount is in our hands."

• 21/5/2023 The Minister of National Security in the occupation government, Itamar Ben Gavir, stormed Al-Aqsa, accompanied by the head of the Temple Mount Management Organization and others, and performed their prayers there.

• 21/5/2023 The occupation government held its weekly meeting in the tunnel under Al-Aqsa. Then the occupation government held a special meeting with representatives of the Temple groups to enhance coordination between the two sides, and to discuss ways and means to Judaize Al-Aqsa. The meeting was attended by 8 ministers and 5 Knesset members.

• 25/5/2023, the anniversary of “Shavuot/the revelation of the Torah.” 354 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa.

• 19/6/2023 The storming of Al-Aqsa, and the evacuation of those in I’tikaf from inside it, as the worshipers announced their intention to station themselves in Al-Aqsa to commemorate the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.

• 20/6/2023 Two settlers tried to bring an” animal sacrifice” lamb into Al-Aqsa, through Lions Gate.

• 28/6/2023 The forces stormed Al-Aqsa, after the end of Eid prayers, especially the Bab Al-Rahma prayer hall. They assaulted a number of young men and carried out arrests from Al-Aqsa and its gates. They also removed the banners hung on the gates.

• Last May and June, forces stormed the Bab al-Rahma prayer hall several times to restrict the worshipers. At the end of June, the occupation police asked the court to extend the “order to close the Bab al-Rahma prayer hall,” under the pretext that it was “offices used as a headquarters for incitement activities.” The Bab al-Rahma prayer hall is located in the eastern region of Al-Aqsa. It was reopened in 2019 after it was closed and prayers were prohibited inside it for 16 years.

• 27/7/2023, the anniversary of the “Destruction of the Temple,” 2,180 extremists stormed Al-Aqsa, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gavir and the Minister of Galilee Development Yitzhak Wasleroff, along with dozens of rabbis and officials in charge of the “alleged Temple organizations.” During the storming, the intruders performed collective prayers and public dances.

• 25/8/2023 The forces attacked worshipers as they were arriving to Al-Aqsa to perform Friday prayers, in the Lions Gate area, “inside and outside Al-Aqsa,” with sound bombs and rubber bullets, in addition to firing live bullets into the air.

• 17/9/2023 “The Hebrew New Year”, 423 extremists carried out their raids on Al-Aqsa, and one of the settlers blew a trumpet “announcing the start of the Hebrew New Year” from inside Al-Aqsa.

• 24-25/9/2023 During the days of “Yom Kippur”, 1,144 extremists carried out their raids into Al-Aqsa.

• 1-5/10/2023 During the “Sukkot days,” 5,739 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa, with the participation of Knesset members, rabbis, and officials in the “alleged Temple organizations and groups,” and some brought plant sacrifices and performed collective prayers in Al-Aqsa.

• 10-14/10/2023 During the days of “Hanukkah,” 1,332 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa, lit “holiday candles,” and performed prayers inside.

During the Jewish holidays over the past year, the occupation authorities prevented Muslim worshipers from entering Al-Aqsa from dawn until afternoon “until the end of the period of raids in the afternoon, and prevented presence and control at the gates of Al-Aqsa from the outside, while during the months of September and October, they carried out attacks, arrests of those stationed at the gates of the mosque.

During the days of the Jewish holidays and on the outside of Al-Aqsa’s gates, the settlers organized marches and collective and individual prayers, raised the Israeli flag, blew the trumpet, attempted to offer animal sacrifices, and prayed with plant sacrifices.

On the eve of the so-called “Destruction of the Temple” anniversary, the settlers organized a march that started from the Ma’man Allah area in west Jerusalem, passing through New Gate, Damascus Gate, Herods Gate, and Dung Gate, arriving at al-Buraq Square. Participants in the march raised Israeli flags, and dozens of settlers also performed their prayers at the gates of Al-Aqsa from the evening hours until dawn, in addition to a large prayer in Al-Buraq Square.

Last July, the occupation authorities prevented restoration and maintenance work in Al-Aqsa, and informed the director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque Reconstruction Committee about the prohibition of carrying out any work in the mosque, threatening to arrest any employee who did so.

Since the seventh of last October, with the beginning of Al-Aqsa Flood Operation, the occupation authorities have imposed a strict siege on Al-Aqsa, preventing young people from entering it and praying in it, imposing restrictions on the entry of the elderly, and trying to prevent them from reaching it under the pretext that “entry for the elderly residents of the Old City only.” Thousands of worshipers were prevented from entering Al-Aqsa to perform Friday prayers, and the number of worshipers on Fridays ranged between 3,000-12,000 worshipers only, at a time when the number of worshipers reached more than 50,000 on regular Fridays.

Bab al-Rahma Cemetery...ambitions and desecration

The ambitions do not stop in the Bab al-Rahma cemetery, which is located at the eastern wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque from the outside. The settlers’ prayers throughout the year, especially during the Jewish holidays, do not stop, and the raids by the forces do as well. In a serious violation, at the end of last year, one of the settlers slaughtered a donkey and hung its head on the lump between the graves of Muslims.

Years ago, the occupation authorities allocated a path for settlers and tourists on the cemetery’s lands, prohibited burials in parts of it, cut off part of it to create a street known as “Al-Turbeh Street,” and placed iron fences around the graves.

Assault on Christian religious places

The year 2023 witnessed an unprecedented escalation in settler attacks on Christian sanctities in the city of Jerusalem, including churches, cemeteries, and worshipers, as the Information Center monitored these attacks and violations:

• Destroying the tombstones and crosses of more than 30 graves in the Protestant cemetery (shared by the Evangelical and Lutheran churches) in Jerusalem.

• Racist slogans were written on the walls of the Armenian Patriarchate in the Old City, with the phrases “Death to Armenians, Death to Christians, Death to Arabs and nations (non-Jews), revenge.”

• Attacking Armenian citizens near the Patriarchate in the Old City, with pepper gas and racist slogans calling on them to leave the country. Settlers also tried to climb to the roof of the Patriarchate and remove the flags of the Patriarchate and the Republic of Armenia.

• They stormed the “Christ’s Imprisonment” church in the Old City of Jerusalem, and destroyed one of the statues of the Virgin Mary inside it. The settler shouted, “I destroyed it,” and chanted obscene words against Jesus Christ, peace be upon him.

• Storming the “Sitna Maryam” Church in Jerusalem, assaulting the clergy and worshipers with sharp objects and insulting them.

• An attack on Christians celebrating Easter while they were carrying the cross while walking in the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem, with insults and spitting.

• Knocking on the door of the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate, spitting in its direction.

• Attacking Christians with insults and profanity during the celebration of the “Feast of Pentecost” in the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in the Old City of Jerusalem, and directing insults and profanity against Jesus Christ, peace be upon him.

• Storming the “Sisters of Charity” monastery near New Gate in Jerusalem, and the guard was able to keep the settlers away from the place, noting that the residents in the monastery were children and people with special needs.

• Repeated attacks by settlers in the first week of last October, during the Jewish holidays, on Christians, pilgrims, and churches as they walked in the Old City, by spitting and directing insults at them.

• Settlers attempted to seize a square in the Armenian Quarter, and vandalized the fence surrounding the parking lot.

• As for the occupation authorities, they imposed restrictions on Christians entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher during Holy Saturday celebrations; By limiting the number of people entering the church and its courtyards to only 1,800 people, police barriers were set up at all roads and intersections leading to the church, and the forces assaulted many of the people celebrating the holiday by beating and pushing them.

In numbers... arrests from Jerusalem

It is clear from the numbers of prisoners who were arrested during the year 2023, that there was a significant increase in numbers and a diversity in the categories of those arrested, starting with children, even if they are below the age of responsibility (under 12 years old), all the way to the elderly, including women and girls, freed prisoners, officials, representatives, and religion men, and the periods ranged from hours to years, including arrests that were transferred to administrative detention without a trial.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem monitored 3,261 arrests in the city of Jerusalem, including “53 children - under the age of responsibility, 643 boys, 165 girls.”

The center noted that among the arrests, 987 cases were recorded from October 7 until the end of the year.

The Information Center explained that the month of April recorded the highest rate of arrests with 766 arrests, followed by October with 437, then November with 355, January with 255, March with 230, December with 222, and February with 204 arrests.

The Center explained that the occupation authorities carried out arrests of students from their schools, or while they were heading to their schools, or after the end of their school-day on their way to their homes, and the center monitored 41 cases of arrest of students.

The center added that the occupation authorities issued 80 administrative detention orders.

The occupation authorities also continued the policy of “arresting freed prisoners immediately upon their release from prisons after the end of their sentence,” as the center monitored 23 cases of arrest of freed prisoners, who were released under conditions, most notably: deportation from Jerusalem, deportation from their residential area, and prohibition of celebrations and raising flags and banners in the city.

In pursuit of the prisoners, the Minister of Interior in the occupation government announced his intention to withdraw the “Israeli identity” from two Jerusalemite prisoners, under the pretext of “belonging to the Hamas movement.”

Among those persecuted with summonses and storming the house is the head of the Supreme Islamic Council and the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, 85 years old. Among those detained last year were MP Ahmed Attoun, former Jerusalem Minister Khaled Abu Arafa, and Deputy Director of the Jerusalem Endowments Sheikh Najeh Bkeirat, and they were transferred to administrative detention.

The forces also arrested a young Jerusalemite man after he went to the hospital to receive treatment, as a result of being shot in the foot. The forces stormed the hospital and handcuffed him while he was on the treatment bed.

During the past year, the arrests included male and female journalists, who were arrested while they were still working, summoned for investigation, or charged with “incitement on Facebook.”

The Information Center explained that the fifth of April (14th of Ramadan) witnessed the recording of the highest number of detainees in one day with the arrest of 440 people from inside the Al-Qibli prayer hall in Al-Aqsa Mosque, after they were beaten and abused. Dozens of detainees were injured by rubber bullets, bomb fragments or batons, and fractures.

Last September, forces posted “threatening leaflets in Arabic” in the villages of Issawiya and Jabal Al-Mukabber, warning against “participating in any riots.” The leaflets included Qur’anic verses and phone numbers for communication, and the leaflets specifically mentioned the events that took place in Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan. The leaflets called on the people to “deter their children,” and they also stormed the homes of “those whose children were arrested from Al-Aqsa during Ramadan,” and they handed over the same threatening leaflet.

As for last October, hundreds of arrests were carried out from Jerusalem in conjunction with the war on the Gaza Strip, and most of the arrests were carried out from homes, after field investigations with members of the detainee’s family and extensive searches and vandalism of all the contents of the house, including furniture and electrical appliances, and the interior walls of one of the houses were demolished during an inspection operation.

At the beginning of November, the occupation forces carried out arrests of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, who were accompanying patients from the Strip, who were present at Al-Maqased Hospital for treatment. The forces arrested 11 people from the Gaza Strip, and a person from the city of Ramallah, after storming the hospital under the pretext of arresting people that are illegally present in Jerusalem. After hours of investigation, most of the detainees were released.

During the months of October and November, the flying checkpoints in the city of Jerusalem turned into places for field investigations, detention, and abuse of Jerusalemites. The forces forced the detainees to take pictures with the Israeli flag. They also deliberately searched cell phones, examined photos and social media platform accounts, and examined the most prominent views and pictures.

The center added that many detainees during the months of October and November were charged with “incitement via social media” by posting about the war, sharing a video clip via the WhatsApp application, or writing a comment “with a Quranic verse, hadith, or song”; indictments were filed against many of them, in addition to indictments against mosque preachers on charges of “incitement during the Friday sermon.”

In numbers... deportation decisions

“Deportation from the city, the place of residence, the streets of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa, the Old City, the West Bank” is a policy implemented by the occupation authorities against the Palestinians, and it has increased significantly in recent years.

The Center monitored 1,105 deportation decisions, including “deportation from Jerusalem, the Old City, Al-Aqsa, residential areas, the streets of Jerusalem, and the West Bank.”

The center explained that among the deportation decisions were 568 deportation decisions from the Old City, 412 deportation decisions from Al-Aqsa Mosque, and 29 deportation decisions from the city of Jerusalem.

In numbers...demolitions in Jerusalem

The occupation authorities continued demolition operations in the city of Jerusalem during 2023, under the pretext of building without a permit, or as a “punitive” measure against the families of Jerusalemite martyrs.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem monitored 209 demolition operations in Jerusalem, including all towns and neighborhoods in the city, including 68 that took place during the war.

Under the threat of imposing financial fines or actual imprisonment, the occupation municipality forced Jerusalemites to implement demolition decisions themselves, “self-demolition.” The center monitored “95 self-demolition operations” of the demolitions that took place in the city, and the municipality gave Jerusalemites a choice between carrying out the demolition themselves or having municipal crews carry out the demolition, but they must pay the costs for its vehicles, crews, accompanying forces and workers.

The center explained that the demolition included: “residential buildings, homes, commercial and agricultural facilities, foundations, walls, rooms, barracks, and land leveling.”

The center noted that the highest number of demolitions occurred in the town of Silwan, followed by Jabal Al-Mukabber and Beit Hanina.

The occupation municipality continued to distribute demolition notices and summonses to follow up with the municipality in Jerusalem. The demolition notices included residential buildings, homes, and commercial establishments. The most prominent was the distribution of approximately 60 demolition notices for industrial and commercial establishments in the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood, to establish the Silicon Valley “hi-tech” project on the ruins of the area that is considered the only Arab industrial zone in the city of Jerusalem.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center noted that the occupation municipality had 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.

Last June, the occupation municipality forced the residents of the town of Beit Safafa to “remove the dome of the Al-Rahman Mosque” in the town, to shorten its height and change its color from gold to silver, as a condition for not demolishing the upper floor of the mosque and the dome.

Last October, the occupation municipality forced the people of Issawiya to remove the minaret of the Al-Tawbah Mosque under the pretext of placing it without a permit, while the occupation municipality took control of a plot of land in the village, under the pretext of “public benefit.”

As for the town of Silwan, announcements were placed for the “permanent and temporary” expropriation of 8,725 square meters, for the benefit of the “cable car” project intended to be established that will pass through the town.

Governor of Jerusalem... endless persecution

The occupation authorities’ persecution of the Governor of Jerusalem, Adnan Ghaith, continued during the year 2023, with summonses, investigations, storming of his house, and renewal of the decisions issued against him. House arrest has been imposed on the Governor of Jerusalem, Adnan 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.”

Since the Governor of Jerusalem assumed his position in 2018, several restrictions have been imposed on him and are renewed immediately upon their expiration, most notably “house arrest in his place of residence in Silwan, travel-ban, entry ban on the West Bank, and ban on participation in any events in Jerusalem.”

Prisoners, martyrs and their families...punishments and attacks

During the year 2023, the attacks on Jerusalemite prisoners and freed prisoners and their families doubled, with raids on their homes and the homes of their families, confiscation of their property, and issuance of random violations.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center explained that the occupation forces carried out dozens of raids on the families of Jerusalemite prisoners, to implement the decision of the Minister of the Army in the occupation government to “seize” the prisoners’ funds that were received from the Palestinian Authority, considering it “a reward and encouragement for operations and terrorism” - according to the decision -, based on The so-called “Anti-Terrorism Law of 2016”, and according to the decision that the prisoners’ money or property will be seized for the value of the money imposed on them, until the amount imposed on each prisoner is paid in full.

The seized funds varied between cash and valuable items, including children's piggy banks, gold and silver jewelry, collectibles, toys, vehicles, and motorcycles, in addition to the seizure of the bank accounts of dozens of prisoners and their families.

The occupation authorities also sent dozens of families a “seizure decision,” attached to the prisoner’s name and the amount imposed on him, via text messages on their phones.

In procedures that affected dozens of families of prisoners, freed prisoners, and martyrs, the forces, accompanied by crews from the municipality and intelligence, stormed several homes, took measurements of the homes and buildings, photographed them, and handed over demolition orders “under the pretext of building without a license,” or summons to the municipality. They also issued fines under various pretexts, including “the presence of waste residue in the courtyard of the house or on the door or balcony of the house, the presence of weeds at the door of the house, and unlicensed pavement.” The families’ vehicles and motorcycles licenses were also cancelled.

“Retaliatory measures” against the families of martyrs and prisoners

In a punitive measure against the families of Jerusalemite martyrs or prisoners who were accused of “carrying out operations or causing the death of soldiers or settlers,” the occupation authorities prevented the families from using the homes and forced them to vacate them, by decision of the “Political and Security Council, until the Supreme Court decides on the decision to demolish the house” Bombing/Closing / Pouring concrete,” and the Information Center monitored these procedures as follows:

• The bombing of the family home of the martyr Khairy Alqam in Silwan, which is a “residential apartment located within a building.” It was closed and the family was prevented from using it at the beginning of the year, and it was blown up last November.

• The bombing of the family home of the child martyr, Muhammad al-Zalbani, in the Shu’fat refugee camp, “which is a residential apartment located within a building.” The family was prevented from using it, and it was blown up last November.

• The homes of the two martyrs, the brothers Ibrahim and Murad Nimer, in Sur Baher, “within two buildings,” were closed at the beginning of last December.

• Controlling the family home of the child prisoner Mahmoud Aleiwat, in Silwan, and preventing his family from accessing it and using it for several weeks.

• Two houses were closed for the family of the martyr Hussein Qaraqe’, “his father’s house and his sister’s house,” in Al-Tur, and they were reopened several days later.

• Preventing the family of the martyr, Adam Nasser Abu Al-Hawa, from using their home in Al-Tur.

• Preventing the family of the martyr, the boy Muhammad Omar Farroukh, from using their rented house in Issawiya.

• Demolishing the family home of the martyr Uday Al-Tamimi in Shu’fat refugee camp.

• The bombing of the house of the Jerusalemite prisoner Islam Farroukh in the city of Ramallah.

The occupation forces, with their various elements, also carried out raids into the homes of the Jerusalemites that carried out attacks in the towns and neighborhoods of Jerusalem, and conducted thorough searches there. They also arrested and summoned family members, transferred some of them to the cells for investigation, and presented some with indictments.

Education in Jerusalem…A dangerous turn

For the second year in a row, the Ministry of Education and the Jerusalem Municipality continued their attack on school administrations in Jerusalem on the one hand, and the persecution and confiscation of the Palestinian curriculum on the other hand. The most prominent persecutions and attacks documented by the Information Center during the year 2023 were as follows:

• At the beginning of September, “the beginning of the academic year,” the Israeli Ministry of Education circulated official letters to schools in Jerusalem entitled “Receipt of Educational Textbooks for an Educational Institution by the Jerusalem Municipality,” in which it threatened to cancel the license of the educational institution, in the event of “the distribution of the curriculum that contains inflammatory content,” a reference to the books of the Palestinian curriculum.

• During September, the police stationed at the gates of Al-Aqsa were handed over lists of the names of books that were prohibited from being brought with the students of Al-Aqsa Shari’a schools. In implementation of this, the police detained the students while they were heading to their schools inside the mosque, and confiscated some books from them.

• In August, the police confiscated “Palestinian curriculum books” during their transportation to the “Bilara” School, in the Old City of Jerusalem, and the forces arrested the driver and the employee responsible for delivering these books to the school.

• The municipality forced some schools in Jerusalem to remove the “Palestinian flag and keffiyeh” from the cover of the Palestinian curriculum books, while some schools were forced to force students to bind the books to ensure the progress of the educational process and the teaching of the non-distorted Palestinian curriculum.

• Inspectors from the Ministry of Education stormed the Arab Orphan School in the town of Beit Hanina, under the pretext of “counting the number of students in the school.” During that time, they examined the school curricula. They also stormed the classrooms and photographed the teachers’ IDs.

• Inspectors from the Ministry of Education stormed the Ibrahimiya School in Al-Sowaneh, examined and photographed textbooks, and searched the students’ bags.

• Storming Al-Rashidyeh School, arresting 3 of its students, assaulting some students and administrative staff, and summoning one of the teachers.

• Al-Issawiya Boys School was targeted with gas and sound bombs. Some students and teachers were injured while they were in the school yard, suffering from suffocation, fractures, shrapnel, and panic. Field and hospital treatment was provided to dozens of them.

• During the months of October and November, several schools in the city of Jerusalem were raided, and students, cell phones, and classrooms were searched.

Targeting the media

The attacks on press crews continued during their field work in Jerusalem, obstructing or preventing their access to the site of the event, refusing to recognize “Palestinian or international” press cards, and demanding Israeli press cards for field work in the city.

The Information Center explained that dozens of male and female journalists from Jerusalem were summoned for investigation at the “Rooms 4” police station, and forced to sign not to work with one of the media networks specialized in Jerusalem affairs, after it was banned. Arrests of male and female journalists were also carried out in Jerusalem.

Occupation intelligence individuals stormed the "Marcel Productions" company in Beit Hanina, and handed the management and employees summons for investigation, under the pretext of providing media services to Palestine TV. After hours of interrogation with the company's management, reporters, and photographers, they were released. The investigation focused on working and providing services for Palestine TV, and warned them against continuing it.

The storming of Marcel Company came hours after the Minister of National Security in the occupation government, Itamar Ben Gavir, signed an order to close the headquarters and ban the activities of the official “Voice of Palestine” radio in the city of Jerusalem and the Palestinian 1948 lands.

Ban, suppression, and prevention of activities and harassment in the city of Jerusalem

Religious, national and social activities in the city of Jerusalem were not spared from repression and persecution of their participants by summons and arrest. The Information Center documented the most prominent activities that were repressed:

• Suppressing protests against the decision to evict the Ghaith/Sub Laban family from their home in the Old City of Jerusalem in favor of the settlers under the pretext of “ownership of the house before the Nakba.”

• Suppressing Sheikh Jarrah’s weekly protests against the policy of evacuation and displacement, by arresting, preventing the raising of Palestinian flags, and assaulting participants.

• Suppression of a protest on Al-Ain Street in the town of Silwan against decisions to demolish homes.

• Suppression of “Friday prayers” in Silwan tent, with bombs and wastewater.

• Suppression of a protest on “Salah al-Din Street” in support of the people of Jenin.

• Suppression of “collective prayers” in the streets of Jerusalem, after worshipers were prevented from entering Al-Aqsa since October 2023

• Suppression of the “protest on Salah al-Din Street” against the war on the Gaza Strip

• Preventing a session of the student parent committees in the city of Jerusalem, by a decision of the Minister of Internal Security in the occupation government, Itamar Ben Gavir, by storming the meeting place in Issawiya and handing out summons to the participants.

• Dismantling the “decorative ropes” for the month of Ramadan hanging in one of the neighborhoods of the Bab Hutta area, under the pretext that they obstruct the view of police surveillance cameras.

• Preventing the lighting of lamps “in the colors of the Palestinian flag” in Ramadan decorations in the Old City of Jerusalem.

• The occupation forces stormed Al-Maqased Hospital in Jerusalem several times, arrests were carried out from inside, while the hospital was targeted with bombs several times.

• At the end of 2023, by decision of the District Court, the Central Zakat Committee was banned and dissolved, under the pretext of its support for terrorism.

The Israeli flags march...a day of violations, attacks, and the Judaization of Jerusalem

The "Flag Dance" march is organized annually on the anniversary of the "Jerusalem Unification Day" according to the Hebrew calendar. Jerusalem was scheduled for this march last May, during which the city and Old City were invaded by tens of thousands of settlers, with the participation of ministers in the occupation government and members of the Knesset, amid a closure and a complete blockade of the path of the march from “West Jerusalem all the way to the Al-Buraq Wall, passing through Jaffa Gate, New Gate, Damascus Gate, and Al-Wad Street.”

During this day every year, the city is emptied of its people, their access to their homes in the Old City of Jerusalem is prevented “during the hours of the march,” shop owners are forced to close their shops, and attacks are carried out on Jerusalemites and press crews, with beatings, insults, and property destruction.

Insults are also directed at the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and at Muslims, and chants calling for their killing are chanted, in addition to chanting various racist slogans.

Settlers’ attacks

The Information Center documented dozens of attacks on Jerusalemites and their property by settlers during the year 2023 without any prosecution or accountability by the police, the most prominent of which were:

• Racist slogans on vehicles in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

• Racist slogans on the graves of the “Dajani Cemetery” and smashing the window of the “Prophet David” Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem.

• Random shooting in Al-Tur, Silwan, and Sheikh Jarrah.

• Gas attacks, insults, and beatings on Jerusalemites, in East and West Jerusalem.

• Attacking Palestinian vehicles with stones in several streets in Jerusalem.

• Throwing Molotov cocktails at homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

• Vandalizing vehicle tires in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

• Stones were thrown at the homes and vehicles of Jerusalemites in the Al-Sowaneh neighborhood.

Strike in Jerusalem.

In mourning for the souls of the martyrs of Gaza and the West Bank, in support of the people, in rejection of the genocide and the continuation of the war, and in rejection of the measures to intensify the attack against Jerusalemites, a general strike was announced in the city of Jerusalem several times during the year 2023, as the Information Center monitored it according to the following sequence:

• A strike in the village of Jabal Al-Mukabber, at the end of last January, in rejection of the demolition decisions and the threat of their implementation.

• A comprehensive strike in Issawiya, Jabal Al-Mukabber, Al-Tur, Anata, and Shu’fat refugee camp, on 19/2/2023, in protest against the policy of demolition, the persecution of prisoners and freed prisoners, and the harassment of the people of Shu’fat refugee camp and Anata, by closing the checkpoint.

• A comprehensive strike in Jerusalem, on 23/2/2023, to denounce the Nablus massacre.

• A comprehensive strike in Jerusalem, on 4/7/2023, to mourn the souls of the martyrs of the Jenin camp and to denounce the siege of the camp.

• A comprehensive strike for several days on the first days of the Al-Aqsa flood battle and the war on the Gaza Strip.

• A comprehensive strike and mourning in Jerusalem, on 18/10/2023, to mourn the martyrs of the Baptist Hospital massacre in Gaza.

• A comprehensive strike in Jerusalem, on November 2, 2023, to mourn the martyrs of the “Jabalia massacre” in Gaza.

• A comprehensive commercial strike in Jerusalem, on 11/12/2023, to demand an end to the war on the Gaza Strip.

An exchange deal...and an endless pursuit

On the 49th day of “Al-Aqsa Flood Operation” (24/11/2023), a “humanitarian truce” began in the Gaza Strip, lasting 7 days, and under the “exchange deal” 7 exchange batches of prisoners were completed between Israel and the Hamas movement, during which 74 Jerusalemite prisoners were released. Among them were 21 female prisoners and 53 boys aged between 14-18 years.

The Information Center kept pace with the procedures for releasing Jerusalemite prisoners during “Exchange Week,” which began with summoning “a family member/guardian” to the “Room 4” center for investigation, bringing their ID and mobile phone, and after bringing them into the investigation center “each person individually.” The phone was seized, and then they were presented with the conditions for releasing their children, which were “not to hold any celebration or gathering, not to raise flags and banners, and not to set firework.” The families of the prisoners were then detained together in an outdoor courtyard, during which they were prevented from going out anywhere including restrooms, and are prevented from drinking water or eating food, or communicating with family, and on several days the detention lasted approximately 12 hours.

At the time of release, each prisoner and his companion were transported in a private intelligence vehicle to the door of his house. While they were inside the vehicle, they were prevented from talking to each other or greeting each other, as an intelligence officer would be siting between them. On several occasions, the prisoner was not aware of the presence of his guardian inside the car, while the handcuffs were removed for the prisoner only at the door of his house.

After the boys were released, they were surprised by the decision to refuse their return to their schools, by order of the “Israeli Ministry of Education,” which stated: “Until the end of the winter break (10/1/24), the released students will not study in schools, and after the winter break, there will be an individual examination for the necessary adjustments for each student, and the subject will be examined in a comprehensive manner.”

In violation of the terms of the exchange deals, the occupation government held a trial session for prisoner Fadwa Hammad in absentia at the “Magistrate Court” in Haifa, under the pretext of committing a violation during her arrest, and a court date was set for the pronouncement of the ruling on 9/1/2024.

Meanwhile, an Israeli female settler submitted a request to the Magistrate Court to “remove the freed prisoner Nufuth Hammad from her place of residence in Sheikh Jarrah,” and requested a “protection order” from the freed woman.

Eviction and forced displacement

As part of the settlement attack on the properties of Jerusalemites, last July, the occupation forces evacuated the Ghaith/Sub Laban family from their home in the Aqabet al-Khaldyeh neighborhood in the Old City of Jerusalem, in favor of the settlers, under the pretext of ownership of the house before the occupation of Jerusalem.

Collective punishment

At the beginning of last December, the occupation authorities closed the entrances to the villages of Umm Tuba and Sur Baher with cement cubes and erected barriers at some of the entrances. Accordingly, the committee of parents of students in the two villages announced an open strike in the schools until the entrances were reopened to ensure the safe arrival of students to their schools, and after 3 days the forces reopened the entrances.