January 2026 in the city of Jerusalem
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center – Jerusalem released its January monthly report, highlighting key Israeli incidents and violations across Jerusalem. These include breaches at Al-Aqsa Mosque, expulsions from the site, demolitions, forced displacements, ongoing arrest campaigns, and assaults on UNRWA's headquarters
Al-Aqsa Mosque: A continuous assault and systematic escalation
In January, Al-Aqsa Mosque experienced ongoing daily violations and attacks. Every day, hundreds of settlers entered the site, supported directly by the government and protected by occupation forces on the ground, except on Fridays, Saturdays, and Islamic holidays and religious events.
The incursions occurred twice daily, once in the morning and again after the noon prayer. The total number of intruders was about 4,400 extremist settlers and Jewish students.
The most prominent violations at Al-Aqsa:
On 13/1/2026, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Minister of National Security in the occupation government, led a raid into the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the afternoon incursions, accompanied by senior officers. This marked his fourteenth time entering the mosque since assuming office in 2023.
On January 21, 2026, Israeli police permitted the entry of prayer sheets into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for settlers during their visits. These sheets included prayers and religious texts titled "Leshem Yehudi," along with instructions related to "ascending to the Temple." After this date, intruders started writing their own Jewish prayers, whereas before, they were recited via phone or from memory, following Ben-Gvir's directives.
During these incursions, settlers held public prayers, religious rituals, and formed dance and singing circles inside the mosque. The events usually started at the Dung Gate, moved through the eastern courtyard, and reached the area near Bab al-Rahma, which became a central spot for prayers, singing events, and discussions about the so-called "Temple." Photos were taken, and people bowed down in all view of the Dome of the Rock, where public prayers and singing occurred.
During a meeting of the Israeli Knesset's National Security Committee, Israeli occupation authorities also proposed limiting access to Al-Aqsa Mosque for West Bank residents, with restrictions based on numbers and age groups, during Ramadan.
A widespread campaign before Ramadan… arrests, summonses, and deportations
Before Ramadan, the occupation authorities conducted a large-scale campaign in Jerusalem, involving arrests, summons, deportations, and targeting released prisoners and their families. This effort is aimed at asserting control, intimidating residents, and reducing the Palestinian presence at Al-Aqsa Mosque ahead of the holy month.
In the final two weeks of January, the city experienced increased home raids, thorough searches, intentional property damage, field investigations, home detentions, and direct threats.
The campaign of summonses and expulsion orders from Al-Aqsa Mosque targeted various groups, including women, youth, the elderly, Waqf employees, journalists, and notably, released prisoners. These summonses were distributed through home raids, personal delivery, phone calls, or by requiring individuals to appear at a specified location to receive the orders.
The main reason for these summons was the issuance of expulsion orders from Al-Aqsa Mosque, ranging from weekly bans later renewed to several months.
In mid-January, the Shin Bet summoned over 70 Jerusalemite prisoners released from detention to the Shu’fat refugee camp checkpoint. There, they were interrogated, faced direct threats, provoked intentionally, and detained for about four hours. The forces also forced the prisoners to stand at the checkpoint to be photographed collectively with the Israeli flag. Subsequently, they were made to stand at the camp entrance to speak together, during which verbal conflicts occurred between the young men and the officers before the prisoners' release.
The occupation authorities also called the wives of the released prisoners to different detention centers, especially Ofer Prison, and issued direct threats to them.
A recent development regarding the Al-Aqsa expulsion orders was the use of WhatsApp to deliver them. Several Jerusalemites were taken aback when they received expulsion notices from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound through digital messages sent from numbers associated with intelligence agencies. These messages included the individual's name, ID number, and the length of the expulsion, marking an unprecedented effort to broaden intimidation tactics and digital surveillance in the city.
The orders were also carried out in the field, with those called receiving calls from intelligence services instructing them to report immediately to different locations in Jerusalem. When they arrived, officers in police vehicles were waiting to give them the orders.
Some young men were also given new orders preventing them from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, even though their previous bans had not yet expired. This demonstrates an ongoing pattern of intimidation and restriction enforcement in the lead-up to Ramadan.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem recorded over 135 orders preventing individuals from accessing Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Old City, and the West Bank.
The occupation authorities have extended the ban preventing Jerusalem Minister Dr. Ashraf Al-A’war from entering the West Bank.
The occupation authorities also imposed travel bans on several Jerusalemites, including Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the head of the Supreme Islamic Council and Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
UNRWA between demolition, control, and closure: A blatant attack on refugee facilities
In January 2026, Israeli authorities continued targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Jerusalem. Since 2024, violations began when the Knesset enacted laws banning the agency's activities within Israel and blocking contact with it. These actions escalated from statements to actual enforcement, including confiscations, demolitions, and the shutdown of facilities like clinics, schools, and offices. Authorities also cut off electricity and water supplies. These measures form part of a systematic effort to restrict UNRWA's work and gain direct control over its lands and properties, infringing on the rights of Palestinian refugees.
On January 20, 2026, Israeli occupation authorities announced they had taken control of the UNRWA headquarters located in Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem. This action came after a forced raid and the demolition of buildings inside the compound. The operation was conducted with the presence of Israeli ministers, Knesset members, and other officials, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The occupation authorities conducted a large-scale demolition of several structures in the compound, employing seven bulldozers of different sizes. The demolitions impacted dozens of existing and mobile structures, including barracks that served as offices, warehouses, and rooms, as well as the mosque within the complex.
In early October 2024, the so-called "Israel Land Authority" announced it would confiscate UNRWA land in occupied Jerusalem to develop a settlement project with 1,440 housing units.
Before the confiscation and demolition, UNRWA institutions in Jerusalem received several days' notice that electricity and water services would be cut to their facilities in the Old City, Shu’fat refugee camp, Sheikh Jarrah, Qalandia, and Sur Baher. These cuts would impact various facilities, including schools, clinics, union offices, and other buildings. The measures were enacted late last month.
Occupation authorities announced the closure of a UNRWA clinic in Jerusalem's Old City. The Jerusalem Health Center (Al-Zawiya Clinic), situated inside Herods Gate, was informed it would be closed for one month, from January 12 to February 10, 2026.
In October 2024, the Knesset enacted laws banning UNRWA's activities within Israel and any contact with the agency. On January 24, 2025, Israel demanded that UNRWA cease operations in Jerusalem and vacate all its facilities by January 30, 2025.
Batn al-Hawa: Evictions, De facto seizure, and notices within a settlement plan
The Israeli occupation authorities, via the Enforcement and Execution Department, continued their eviction operations in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. This is part of a settlement plan aiming to seize over five dunams of land under the claim that it belongs to Jews of Yemeni origin.
In early January 2026, Ateret Cohanim, a settlement organization, took over the Basbous family's two-apartment building. They compelled two families to leave their apartments through threats of forced eviction and billed them for the operation. The building is home to 13 residents, including children.
In the same context, the Enforcement and Execution Department issued eviction notices to 32 residential apartments in the neighborhood, giving them 21 days to vacate the homes; otherwise, Israeli forces will forcibly evict them.
These actions are part of a larger effort to Judaize the neighborhood and exert de facto control over Palestinian properties, jeopardizing family stability and their right to housing.
"Permit Crisis": Israeli restrictions hinder the educational process in Jerusalem
Israeli interference in Jerusalem's education system persists, with last January marked by restrictions on teachers' permits. This significantly impacted the beginning of the second semester due to a systematic Israeli policy targeting teachers and staff from the West Bank.
The second semester at private schools (Christian schools operated by the General Secretariat of Christian Educational Institutions) was set to start on January 10, 2026. However, these schools announced they would suspend classes because of new Israeli restrictions and issues with teachers' permits. These restrictions involved denying permits for Saturdays and revoking permits for Fridays and Sundays, effectively ending the previous "weekly permit" system.
After several days of suspension in 14 private schools, which educate between 8,700 and 9,000 students from kindergarten to high school, and include private schools with teachers holding West Bank IDs, classes resumed once the Israeli restrictions on teachers' permits were lifted.
Approximately 300 teachers and staff members, about 30% of Jerusalem's teaching staff, possess West Bank IDs and need permits to enter Jerusalem and reach their workplaces.
Excavation works pose a threat to Silwan residents
In January, the Abu Sbeih family was forcibly displaced from three of their homes due to severe collapses and cracks caused by ongoing Israeli excavations beneath the Silwan neighborhood, affecting both the houses and the surrounding areas.
The cracks, fissures, and collapses in the family's homes and neighboring buildings started gradually during a winter storm in Jerusalem and continued until one of the buildings collapsed. The Israeli municipality labeled the building unsafe and ordered it evacuated immediately.
The three apartments accommodate 18 people within a two-story building. The ground floor was directly impacted, while the second floor houses two separate apartments.
The family reports constant excavation work happening right beneath their homes, which raises concerns about their safety and the stability of the buildings and nearby residences.
In recent years, many similar incidents have been documented, such as wall and floor collapses, wall cracks, ground subsidence, and foundation damage. These have primarily resulted from Israeli excavations beneath Silwan, especially in and around the Wadi Hilweh neighborhood, which serves as a key area for the tunnel network running underneath the town.
Al-Bustan neighborhood lands… Threatened with confiscation
Last January, the Jerusalem municipal authorities posted notices in the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan titled: “Notice of Intention to Carry Out Landscaping and Parking Works.”
Reports indicate that the affected land spans over six dunams across multiple sites. The municipality states the land is vacant and unused, making it suitable for park and parking development. A map indicating the location of the targeted plot was also included.
This action occurs within a continuing trend of issuing final demolition orders in the area and pursuing park projects that threaten residents' land and property. This heightens pressure on Jerusalemites and poses a direct threat to the neighborhood's stability.
Arrests, field interrogations, and dozens detained at checkpoints
In January 2026, Israeli occupation forces maintained their daily arrest operations in Jerusalem, targeting children, teens, women, and the elderly, as well as dozens of West Bank ID holders, under the guise of "illegal residency."
The Shu'fat refugee camp, Kafr Aqab, and Airport Road experienced extensive arrest campaigns targeting released prisoners, former prisoners, and their families. These efforts included arrests and detentions at checkpoints, field interrogations, and direct threats.
In January, over 250 detainees from Jerusalem were held, including women, teenagers, the elderly, and West Bank ID holders.
In a related development, Israeli occupation authorities have detained 15-year-old Iyad Odeh from the Shu’fat refugee camp under administrative detention for five months. He is the brother of Jerusalemite prisoner Tasneem Odeh and the son of martyr Barakat Odeh, whose body has been held by the occupation since 2022.
Jerusalem bus driver Fakhri al-Khatib was also arrested after an attack while he was driving in Jerusalem. He entered a street where a Haredi protest against the mandatory military service law was happening. Demonstrators surrounded him, spitting, verbally abusing him, and preventing him from proceeding, forcing him to try to escape for his safety. Al-Khatib said he contacted police about the threat, but one demonstrator clung to his moving vehicle and later died from his injuries. Several days later, the occupation authorities released al-Khatib.
A large-scale campaign in the Shu’fat refugee camp and Kafr Aqab
During multiple days in January, the Israeli occupation authorities, through their various institutions, launched a large-scale operation named "Shield of the Capital" in Shu’fat refugee camp, Kafr Aqab, and Al-Matar Street. This campaign was part of a deliberate escalation targeting residents and infrastructure in these areas.
The campaign involved widespread raids on homes and streets, a large deployment of forces, breaking into and searching citizens' homes, vandalizing belongings, threatening residents, making arrests, conducting field interrogations, and issuing phone summonses.
The campaign also targeted shops, with authorities raiding stores, checking paperwork and merchandise, issuing fines to owners, and directing them to the relevant departments to obtain necessary permits. Furthermore, items—especially cigarettes and eggs—were seized under the justification of "bringing them from Palestinian Authority areas without permits."
During the campaign, the occupation forces established police checkpoints on the streets, issued fines to owners of vehicles, bicycles, and motorcycles, and confiscated vehicles claiming they owed financial debts.
In Al-Matar Street and Kafr Aqab, the occupation authorities conducted extensive demolitions, destroying over 70 structures within three days. The majority of these were commercial premises or extensions to existing buildings.
Settler attacks in Jerusalem
At the end of January, a settler fired at a vehicle carrying residents of Jerusalem from Issawiya village. The attack took place on a main road close to the eastern entrance of the village. The vehicle sustained damage, and three women, including one who was pregnant, were left shocked and terrified.
Settlers spat at the Armenian Church in the Old City of Jerusalem and at the Church of Gethsemane near Lions' Gate.
Settlers also vandalized gravestones at the Bab al-Rahma cemetery, located next to the eastern wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Demolition, displacement, and economic suppression
In January 2026, occupation authorities persisted with their policy of demolition and displacement in Jerusalem, claiming it was due to "building without a permit." This was part of a systematic campaign targeting the Palestinian community in the city.
By the end of the month, Kafr Aqab and the Al-Matar Street area experienced significant demolitions, affecting around 70 facilities, mostly commercial properties.
In Silwan, Palestinian families in Jerusalem had to self-demolish their homes to avoid high fines from the Israeli municipality, which charged these "demolition fees" for its crews and equipment.
Demolitions also affected three buildings in Anata, continuing a broader policy aimed at Palestinian neighborhoods in and near Jerusalem.
Banning activities
The Israeli occupation authorities persist in prohibiting cultural and artistic activities in Jerusalem. In January, the Jerusalem District Commander issued a ban on a cultural event at the Al-Hakawati Theater, which was part of the "Ambassador of Jerusalem" program. Additionally, they blocked the screening of Annemarie Jacir's film "Palestine 36" at the Yabous Cultural Center in Jerusalem.
