October 2025 in the city of Jerusalem
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center – Jerusalem issued its monthly report for October 2025, documenting the most prominent Israeli violations in Jerusalem, foremost among them the escalating attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque, along with daily deportation orders and arrests of Jerusalemites, and the increasing demolition and displacement operations in various neighborhoods of the city.
Al-Aqsa Mosque: Escalating and dangerous violations
Al-Aqsa Mosque witnessed a dangerous escalation in Israeli violations during October, manifested in daily incursions by hundreds of settlers with direct government support and on-the-ground protection from the occupation forces, except on Fridays and Saturdays.
The incursions took place in two periods (morning and afternoon), during which the mosque's courtyards witnessed the performance of group and public prayers in its various halls and courtyards.
The number of settlers who stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of October reached more than 10,820, including 919 settlers during the two days of “Yom Kippur”, while during the week of Sukkot and “Joy of the Torah”, about 7,474 settlers stormed it.
During the same month, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound twice (on the second day of Sukkot and on the day of Joy of the Torah). The Wadi Hilweh Information Center noted that Ben-Gvir has stormed the Al-Aqsa compound 13 times since assuming his post in 2023.
Also during Sukkot, Knesset members from far-right parties, including Yitzhak Kruzer and Zvi Sukut (from the Religious Zionist Party) and Amit Halevi (from the Likud Party), stormed the Al-Aqsa and performed public prayers inside the mosque.
During Sukkot, settlers performed public prayers, including prostrating, bowing, singing, and clapping, inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They also offered traditional plant sacrifices (citron, myrtle, willow, and palm buds) and performed various rituals and prayers within the mosque's courtyards, accompanied by loud dancing and religious chanting throughout the area.
On Fridays, the Israeli occupation authorities continued to impose severe restrictions on Muslim worshippers entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, through arbitrary bans and detentions at the gates, preventing hundreds from praying inside the mosque or even on its doorsteps.
Special forces were deployed among the worshippers during the Friday sermon and prayer, and were stationed on the roof of the Dome of the Rock and its surrounding area, in addition to a permanent force near the police station. Since October 2023, these scenes have been observed every Friday, with no regard for the sanctity of the site or the presence of female worshippers. Israeli forces are concentrated in the southern arcades of Al-Aqsa Mosque overlooking the Al-Qibli and Al-Marwani prayer halls, and on the roof of the Dome of the Rock at the entrance to the northern courtyard near the police station.
The “Prisoner Exchange Deal” and measures in Jerusalem
October witnessed the implementation of a new phase of the prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas. The occupation authorities released 15 Jerusalemite prisoners as part of the third phase, amidst strict measures and harsh restrictions imposed on the prisoners and their families.
The releases were accompanied by heightened security measures in various neighborhoods of the city. These measures included preventing family gatherings in front of or near homes, deploying occupation forces in the streets, and raiding and searching the homes of the released prisoners, prohibiting anyone from entering except family members. The forces also surrounded the homes for extended periods after the release, threatening to use force if instructions were disregarded.
The occupation authorities prohibited the raising of Palestinian flags or any other forms of celebration. They forced the families of the prisoners to receive the released prisoners individually and quickly, without public gatherings, under heavy surveillance. Each released prisoner was escorted home by a family member from the "Room 4" police station. The Israeli intelligence summoned the families of Palestinian prisoners from Jerusalem to the "Room 4" detention center in West Jerusalem and demanded they sign financial guarantees obligating them not to gather, celebrate, raise flags, or use fireworks.
In addition, the occupation authorities barred released prisoners from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque before their release, a measure applied to all prisoners included in the prisoner exchange deal.
Cultural and sports events banned in Jerusalem
The Israeli occupation authorities continued to prevent cultural and sports clubs and associations in Jerusalem from holding events, claiming they were sponsored by the Palestinian Authority. This ban was based on a decision issued by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The occupation authorities prevented a meeting from being held at the headquarters of the Union of Charitable Societies in the city, raided the premises, and arrested the Union's president, Majdi Zghayyar, and its director-general, Youssef Qarri.
In the town of Silwan, they prevented the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Silwan Sports Club and arrested the club's president, Ahmed Al-Ghoul, from his home.
Land confiscation in Jerusalem
The Israeli occupation authorities continued their land confiscation operations in Jerusalem last month:
In the village of Jabal al-Mukabber, the Israeli municipality confiscated land belonging to the Aqel Qaraeen family under the pretext of “public benefit” for the construction of a park. They also confiscated the family's parking area in front of their homes, despite the family possessing title deeds proving their ownership.
In the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, the occupation authorities excavated land belonging to the Qawwas family to prevent its use, claiming it was owned by the “Israel Lands Association.” The land, measuring 3.5 dunoms, was completely cleared last July.
In the town of Anata, northeast of Jerusalem, the occupation authorities issued an order to seize approximately 5,856 dunoms of land for military purposes. This includes 5,254 dunoms classified as “state land” and 602 dunoms privately owned by residents of the town. The decision allowed those affected to appeal to the legal advisor for the Judea and Samaria region within seven days of its issuance.
A Continuing violation of freedom of worship and the sanctity of prayer
Last month, Israeli occupation forces stormed the Al-Hijra Mosque in the town of Beit Hanina, forcing worshippers to interrupt their congregational prayers. They checked the worshippers' IDs and arrested several of them from inside the mosque.
The Israeli intelligence also summoned the mosque's muezzin and fined him 5,000 shekels for allegedly raising the volume of the Quran recitation and the call to prayer during the dawn prayer. They ordered him to refrain from using external loudspeakers and to rely solely on the internal speakers.
Wadi al-Rababeh... Olive theft and harassment of landowners
Settlers, with the support of the occupation authorities, continued stealing olives from trees in the Wadi al-Rababeh area of Silwan, and imposed restrictions on landowners, preventing them from accessing or cultivating their land.
Municipal crews and accompanying settler groups also prevented residents from improving their soil or erecting stone walls on their land, as part of repeated attempts to seize the land and transform it into settlement areas under the guise of "biblical gardens."
Unending arrests
During October 2025, the occupation authorities continued their daily arrest campaigns in Jerusalem, targeting children, teenagers, women, and the elderly, in addition to hundreds of young men holding West Bank ID cards under the pretext of entering Jerusalem illegally.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center reported that settlers, including a member of the Knesset, participated last month in harassing Palestinians under the pretext of their illegal entry into Jerusalem. This harassment involved photographing, detaining, and checking their IDs before handing them over to the police. These incidents were repeated in several areas of the city.
The policy of harassment against Jerusalemite prisoners continued after their release. They were summoned immediately upon completion of their sentences and released to areas far from prisons without informing their families, who waited for them for hours outside the prison gates.
The occupation authorities imposed strict restrictions, including prohibiting receptions for released prisoners or gatherings in their honor, and banning the raising of Palestinian flags and banners during these occasions.
Demolition and Displacement
The demolition policy in Jerusalem continued during October under the pretext of "building without a permit."
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center documented 11 demolition and closure operations targeting residential, commercial, and agricultural structures in various neighborhoods of the city.
The demolition methods varied, ranging from self-demolition, where families were forced to demolish their own homes to avoid exorbitant fines, to direct demolitions carried out by the occupation municipality's crews accompanied by Israeli forces.
The occupation authorities also continued distributing demolition orders, stop-work notices, and summonses to appear before the occupation municipality, as part of a systematic policy to displace the city's Palestinian residents.
