November 2025 in the city of Jerusalem
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center – Jerusalem published its monthly report for November 2025, highlighting the main Israeli violations in Jerusalem, including increasing attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque, daily arrests and deportation orders against Jerusalem residents, and demolitions and displacement efforts across various neighborhoods of the city.
Al-Aqsa Mosque
In November, Al-Aqsa Mosque experienced a significant escalation in the severity and scale of Israeli violations. These included daily visits by hundreds of settlers, supported directly by the government and protected on the ground by occupation forces, except on Fridays and Saturdays. The visits occurred twice daily—morning and afternoon—and involved public, collective Torah prayers and rituals in various courtyards and passages, especially in the eastern area.
According to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center – Jerusalem, over 4,100 settlers stormed the mosque during the month. They entered through the Dung Gate, whose keys have been controlled by the occupation authorities since Jerusalem's occupation.
Key violations during the month:
• November 18: Eight settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque through the Lions Gate, carrying animal sacrifices, including a goat and three pigeons placed inside a cardboard bag. One of them was wearing tefillin (Jewish prayer shawls).
The settlers managed to bypass the police barriers set up at Lions Gate, while Al-Aqsa guards chased them toward the Bab Al-Rahma area before they scattered to several locations within the courtyards. Police later announced their arrest.
• November 27 – A dangerous precedent: Israeli occupation police allowed three extremists identifying themselves as "Leviticus" to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque and chant religious hymns within its courtyards, a move considered unprecedented.
The "Leviticus" were responsible for singing, chanting, and performing rituals within the Temple Mount, particularly religious chanting and music. Temple Mount groups see this public performance of "Leviticus chants" as a step toward imposing more Jewish rituals in the mosque.
Throughout the month, daily prayers and various rituals continued, especially in the eastern area, with more voices and group rituals at several locations within the mosque, including birthday celebrations, coming-of-age anniversaries, and wedding and engagement ceremonies.
Forced eviction and displacement of families
On November 9, 2025, the occupation authorities forcibly evicted the Shweiki and Odeh families from their homes in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan to make way for the settler organization "Ateret Cohanim."
The operation began with Israeli occupation forces and personnel from the "Execution and Enforcement Department" storming the town and blocking its entrances. They then advanced into the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood and nearby areas, raiding two properties in preparation for eviction. The forces fully sealed off the area and prevented anyone from entering.
The two properties that were evacuated include a residential building with three apartments; two belong to the Shweiki family, and one to the Odeh family. This operation is part of a larger settlement plan by the Ateret Cohanim organization, which aims to seize approximately 5200 square meters in the “Al-Hara Al-Wusta” neighborhood, based on claims of ownership by Jews of Yemeni origin dating back to 1881.
Imminent eviction threat impacts 50 people
Joint teams from the Enforcement and Execution Department and the police raided the Rajabi family's property in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan. The occupation authorities issued a final eviction order to the family (Nasser, Ayed, and their mother) in favor of settlers, using the same pretext, and set early December as the date to carry out the order.
The property, which includes three apartments, houses about 50 people, including children and the elderly, putting them at immediate risk of displacement.
Prevention of activities
During November, the occupation authorities continued to hinder social and cultural activities in Jerusalem, citing that they were "organized or sponsored by the Palestinian Authority." Their forces stormed the Palestinian National Theatre - Al-Hakawati and prevented the performance of the play “Dreams Under the Olive Tree,” issuing a decision to close it. They also blocked the Jerusalem Bazaar at the Monastery of our Father Ibrahim in the Ras al-Amoud neighborhood, which involved about 100 women’s projects.
Arrests
During November 2025, the Israeli occupation authorities continued their daily arrest campaigns in Jerusalem, targeting children, teenagers, women, and the elderly, as well as dozens of West Bank ID holders under the pretext of “illegal residency.”
The harassment policy against Jerusalemite prisoners continued even after their release. They were summoned immediately after finishing their sentences, released into areas far from prisons without notifying their families, and faced strict restrictions that prevented them from being received or holding gatherings in their honor, including the raising of Palestinian flags.
Among those arrested during November:
The two Jerusalemite deputies who were expelled from Jerusalem, Mohammad Abu Teir (75 years old) and Ahmed Attoun (57 years old), were arrested after their homes in the Bethlehem Governorate were raided. The center stated that the Israeli Minister of the Interior decided in 2006 to revoke the identity cards of deputies Mohammad Abu Teir, Ahmed Attoun, and Muhammad Totah, as well as the former Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, Khaled Abu Arafeh, citing “disloyalty.” This was followed by a series of arrests, and in 2010, they received orders to be expelled from Jerusalem.
During the month, a hearing was held to try Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head of the Supreme Islamic Council and preacher at Al-Aqsa Mosque, on charges of “incitement to terrorism” stemming from condolence messages he delivered in 2022, in addition to his eulogy for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at Al-Aqsa in 2024.
Demolition and Displacement
The demolition policy in Jerusalem persisted throughout November under the pretext of “building without a permit.”
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center reported five demolition and closure operations targeting residential, commercial, and agricultural buildings across the city.
The demolition methods varied, including self-demolition, where families were forced to tear down their own homes to avoid excessive fines, and direct demolition carried out by the occupation municipality crews accompanied by Israeli forces.
The occupation authorities also continued issuing demolition orders, stop-work notices, and summonses to appear at the municipality as part of a systematic policy to displace the city’s Palestinian residents.
Transfer of patients to the Gaza Strip
On November 17th, 76 patients and their companions from the Gaza Strip were transported from Jerusalem back to Gaza through the Kerem Abu Salem crossing, using 3 buses and 3 ambulances. The group included 4 children and several elderly women and men, along with young men who had been in Jerusalem for 26 months, since their arrival before the outbreak of the war, where they stayed in three hotels in the Al-Tur and Al-Sowaneh neighborhoods.
The patients who were transferred had received treatment at Al-Maqased and Augusta Victoria hospitals before arrangements were finalized for their return to the Gaza Strip.
Many Gazans needing ongoing treatment are still receiving care at hospitals in Jerusalem.
Upon the families' arrival at the Kerem Abu Salem crossing, the occupation authorities prevented them from bringing in any of their belongings, allowing only one handbag, 500 shekels, and one mobile phone per person. They were forced to leave the rest of their belongings behind, and the forces discarded many of them.
Injuries
The occupation authorities used live fire against Palestinians trying to enter Jerusalem, claiming they were entering the city illegally. More than 10 gunshot injuries were reported during the month.
Settler Attacks
Jerusalem saw an increase in settler attacks against Palestinians in November, especially targeting public bus drivers in the city. Several incidents involved physical assaults and pepper spray attacks on drivers while they were working, leading to injuries and suffocation.
Settlers also continued their attacks on Palestinian property in neighborhoods, with widespread theft of olives reported in Silwan and Umm Tuba. This included trespassing on land and forcibly harvesting the olives.
