April 2025 in the city of Jerusalem
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center – Jerusalem issued its report for April 2025, in which it monitored the violations committed in the city of Jerusalem.
Serious violations continued at Al-Aqsa Mosque during April, and daily arrests, demolitions, displacements, and deportation orders continued in the city.
Al-Aqsa Mosque... Serious violations and record numbers
The occupation authorities and the so-called Temple Mount groups violated Al-Aqsa Mosque during April, and numerous serious violations were recorded, including repeated incursions into Al-Aqsa and military control, as well as settler incursions.
As for daily incursions, they continued during the past month, during two periods: morning (7:00-11:30) and afternoon (1:30-3:00), through the Dung Gate, whose keys have been controlled by the occupation authorities since the occupation of Jerusalem. More than 10,000 settlers carried out their incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The most difficult days for Al-Aqsa Mosque during April were the days of Passover (from the 13th to the 17th), when the mosque witnessed a wave of widespread incursions by settlers under heavy protection from the Israeli occupation forces; 6,862 settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque over the course of five days.
The Israeli police directly contributed to the increased number of intruders, introducing successive groups of settlers into the mosque, each group comprising between 120 and 200 settlers, with intervals not exceeding 15 minutes.
The settlers performed public religious rituals (prayers, dancing, singing, clapping, and prostrating), while members of the Knesset, senior rabbis, and Temple activists also participated in the incursions.
These incursions were accompanied by strict restrictions on the entry of Muslims, including bans on large groups of people, confiscation of ID cards, and restrictions on worshippers inside the mosque. The occupation authorities also transformed the Old City and the surrounding area of Al-Aqsa into a military barrack.
Some settlers also attempted to bring Passover offerings into the mosque before being arrested by police.
On April 2nd, the Minister of National Security stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque and performed prayers there. It's worth noting that the extremist minister has stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque eight times since assuming his position in 2023, including three times in 2023, four times in 2024, and this is his first time in 2025.
At the end of April, hundreds of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque at the beginning of the Hebrew month, performing prayers there and holding the so-called "Priest's Blessing" prayer on its western side.
Increasing military grip inside Al-Aqsa Mosque
The occupation authorities continue to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque every Friday, from before the noon call to prayer until half an hour after the end of the prayer. The deployment of special forces among the worshippers during the Friday sermon and prayer has become an established reality.
The soldiers are stationed on the roof of the Dome of the Rock and in its surroundings, particularly at the southeastern, southern, and southwestern gates. A permanent force is also present near the police station on the northern side of the Dome of the Rock's roof, knowing that the Dome of the Rock and its courtyard are reserved for women.
These scenes are observed every Friday without any regard for the sanctity of the place or respect for the presence of female worshippers. The forces are distributed among the women and continue to talk during the Friday sermon and prayer without regard for its sanctity.
Remarkably, on the last Friday of April, special forces stationed at the southeastern gates prevented female worshippers from sitting in the area and forced them to move away.
Restrictions on the entry of worshippers to Al-Aqsa continued, particularly on Fridays, through the setup of checkpoints on the roads leading to it, deployment at its gates, and the inspection of those entering, including identity checks. Many young men were also prevented from entering Al-Aqsa, pursued through the alleys of the Old City, and kept away from the gates of Al-Aqsa to prevent them from praying there.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Easter rituals under siege, prohibition, and attacks
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is like Al-Aqsa Mosque, both under siege and restrictions. The occupation authorities imposed restrictions on prayers at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and on private prayers throughout Holy Week, and limited the number of Christians from the West Bank. They also continued to prevent Christians from the Gaza Strip from entering Jerusalem.
This year, the occupation authorities issued 6,000 permits for Christians from the West Bank governorates to participate in Easter prayers and rituals, despite their estimated number of 50,000.
Easter rituals begin with the Palm Sunday procession, which begins from the Mount of Olives and reaches the Old City. The special prayers and rituals for the holiday are held throughout the week, most notably Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
For the second year in a row, Easter has been limited to religious rites only, without extensive celebrations, due to the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
The occupation authorities imposed severe restrictions on the entry and access of Christians to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to participate in the prayers and rituals of Holy Saturday. They assaulted dozens of Christians (clergy, pilgrims, children, women, youth, and scout groups) by brandishing weapons at them to prevent them from walking and advancing towards the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, thus disrupting the traditional annual Holy Saturday procession. They also prevented dozens of them from entering the church and its roof, and limited the number of people allowed to enter. Several assaults involving beatings and shoving were recorded against Christians inside the church and its courtyards, as well as at the checkpoints surrounding it.
From the heart of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the "Holy Light" emanated, carrying its rays to the Christians of Jerusalem, the Palestinian territories, and the cities of the West Bank. It travels by plane to various parts of the world, except for the Christians of the Gaza Strip, who have continued to suffer under a war of extermination since October 2023.
Education in Jerusalem: Imminent dangers
The occupation authorities continued their interference in education in the city of Jerusalem, violating children's right to a safe and sound education. These violations continue to target Palestinian schools and educational institutions. The most prominent violations occurred last April:
▪︎ On April 8, occupation forces, accompanied by crews from the Israeli Ministry of Education, raided UNRWA schools in the city of Jerusalem (Shu’fat refugee camp, Wadi al-Joz, Sur Baher, and Silwan), and delivered notices to the administrations ordering the schools to close within 30 days.
The occupation authorities demanded that the students be transferred and registered in schools affiliated with them. They distributed papers addressed to the students' parents stating: "The school was closed after it was discovered that it was operating without a license and in violation of the law."
Approximately 800 students study in UNRWA schools, along with another 350 at the Qalandia Training College (which provides vocational education), all of which are located within the Jerusalem municipality.
The agency operates three schools in Shu’fat refugee camp, one in Sur Baher, one in Silwan, and one in Wadi al-Joz (for both boys and girls) for the elementary and basic levels.
In October 2024, the Knesset passed a law banning UNRWA activities inside Israel, in addition to another law prohibiting contact with it. Last February, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued instructions to implement the law banning UNRWA activities inside Israel.
▪︎ In early April, the Israeli Ministry of Education announced on its Facebook page the closure of Al-Furqan Schools in Jerusalem, claiming that the school was operating "without a license and illegally."
Al-Furqan School was established 31 years ago in the Dahiyat Al-Barid area and obtained a license from the Palestinian Ministry of Education. It then moved to the city of Jerusalem, specifically to the town of Shu’fat. In 2002, it obtained the necessary licenses to operate within the city from the Israeli Ministry of Education. It currently has 1,200 students in four branches and a kindergarten, and employs 120 staff.
▪︎ At the end of April, the occupation authorities obstructed the entry of buses designated for transporting school students from within the Shu’fat refugee camp to schools located outside the camp. This happened repeatedly for several days, causing dozens of students to miss school.
Daily arrests
The Israeli occupation authorities continued their arrest campaigns in Jerusalem, with the number of detainees exceeding 500 during the month of April, according to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem. The arrests included children, youth, women, and the elderly, in addition to hundreds of young men from the West Bank, under the pretext of "illegal residence in Jerusalem."
Deportations and travel bans
The occupation issued 12 deportation and travel ban orders, including orders to deport students from Jerusalem, the Old City, and Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to ban them from entering the West Bank.
Among these orders, the Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, Ashraf al-A’war, was banned from entering the West Bank for six months.
Demolitions and displacement
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center documented 20 demolitions during the month of April, including the bombing of the home of the family of the Jerusalemite martyr Mohammad Shihab in the town of al-Ram. The demolitions also included residential, commercial, and agricultural facilities, in addition to the closure of commercial establishments under the pretext of employing Palestinians with West Bank ID cards.
Pursuing prisoners released in the “Exchange Deal”
The occupation authorities continued their persecution of prisoners released in the exchange deal, arresting them, raiding their homes, and imposing fines on them.
The forces arrested the freed prisoner, Reda Obeid, from the village of Issawiya (his detention was extended until early May). Reda Obeid was released as part of the "third batch" of prisoners in the exchange deal on November 30th. At the time, he was suffering severely from a skin condition called scabies. He continues to suffer from the skin condition, causing severe pain, itching, and redness, in addition to chest pain due to bruises resulting from repeated assaults during his previous detention.
The freed prisoner, Musa al-Ajlouni, from the Old City, was detained for a day.
The raids on the homes of released prisoners continued, with occupation forces conducting field investigations with them or members of their families, imposing various fines on them, and summoning some of them for interrogation.
Miscellaneous events
April 7, 2025: A general strike swept through Jerusalem, protesting the massacres in Gaza and demanding the lifting of the siege.
April 8, 2025: The occupation authorities prevented the General Federation of Workers from holding its conference at its headquarters on Salah al-Din Street and arrested its director.
April 10, 2025: Amir al-Haddad (12 years old) from Shu’fat refugee camp was injured by a rubber bullet, resulting in a skull fracture.
April 28, 2025: National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir decided to close the Jerusalem Fund Endowment office.
A livelihood martyr
April 26, 2025: Arafat Quddous, from the village of Iraq Burin in Nablus, was martyred after falling from the apartheid wall in the al-Ram area, north of Jerusalem, while trying to enter the city in search of a living.
