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Dozens of martyrs, hundreds of detainees, and demolition massacres carried out by the occupation, and tens of thousands of settlers stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. These were the most prominent data monitored in the annual report of the Jerusalem Governorate during the year 2024, which is the highest local governmental authority representing Jerusalem.

 

Martyrs and detained bodies of martyrs

The governorate report monitored the rise of 33 martyrs within the borders of the Jerusalem Governorate and outside it during the year 2024, including: 7 Palestinians from outside the governorate, and 14 boys and girls under the age of 18. Among the most prominent martyrs in the year 2024: Martyr Zakaria Najib, a freed prisoner in the Wafa al-Ahrar deal who was martyred in Gaza, and the child Wijdan Abu Sneineh, who was martyred in Gaza and is the daughter of the freed prisoner deported to Gaza, Shuaib Abu Sneineh, and the Turkish martyr Hassan Sakalanan, and as for the child Ruqayya Abu Duhok, she is the youngest martyr in Jerusalem and is 3 years old.

In the same context, the report documented the occupation's detention of 45 bodies of Jerusalemite martyrs until the end of 2024.

Injured and wounded

The Jerusalem Governorate monitored the injuries sustained by Jerusalemites as a result of the occupation forces and their settlers’ bullets. 168 injuries were monitored as a result of live and rubber-coated metal bullets, severe beatings, in addition to cases of suffocation from gas.

Detainees, prisoners and deportees

The arrests carried out by the occupation forces during the year 2024 included about 1,287 Jerusalemites from all areas of the Jerusalem Governorate: including 112 children and 65 women.

The occupation courts issued 411 actual prison sentences against Jerusalemite prisoners: including 280 administrative detention sentences (i.e. without clearly specifying the charge against them).

During the year 2024, the report monitored 51 house arrest decisions issued by the occupation authorities against Jerusalemite citizens, and 102 deportation decisions, including 52 decisions to deport from the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and 8 decisions to prevent travel.

Al-Aqsa Mosque... attacks and raids

The occupation, at various levels, has escalated its targeting of Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to Judaize it and change its identity. The governorate’s report documented the storming of Al-Aqsa by 60,792 settlers and 41,001 under the name of “tourism” during the de facto situation imposed by the occupation.

During the days of storming Al-Aqsa, the settlers performed Talmudic prayers and rituals, and performed prayers for the “Israeli” prisoners and dead soldiers. Some of them wore costumes during “Purim”, and some of them wore Talmudic prayer tools (Teflin), in addition to performing public collective and individual prayers, raising the Israeli flag, attempts to slaughter animal sacrifices, circles of dancing and singing, blowing the trumpet, performing epic prostration, bringing in plant sacrifices, performing and praying the “Priests’ Blessing”, wearing white “repentance” clothes, and other rituals.

In October, the occupation police announced its intention to build a three-story building near Bab al-Hadid, one of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, on Al-Wadi Road in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, with the approval of the so-called head of the Israeli District Planning and Building Committee. The occupation doubled the number of surveillance cameras around Al-Aqsa Mosque a few days before the holy month of Ramadan.

Attack on Christian sanctities

The Jerusalem Governorate report monitored many attacks carried out by settlers against Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. In February, settlers attacked a German monk, Father Nicodemus Schnabel, head of the Benedictine monks in the Holy Land, and assaulted him by spitting and cursing Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, while he was walking in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.

During March, the occupation prevented thousands of Christians this year from reaching Jerusalem to celebrate Easter, according to the Western calendar, Palm Sunday, the Via Dolorosa, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and to participate in religious rituals.

 The occupation refused to issue entry permits to Jerusalem for Palestinian Christians from the West Bank except in limited numbers and under restrictive conditions. Every year, Christian communities used to celebrate in the heart of Jerusalem, where Christians from all governorates of the homeland gather, with the exception of Palestinian Christians in the Gaza Strip, whom the Palestinian occupation authorities prevent from reaching Jerusalem on all Christian holidays, despite the symbolism and importance of the city.

Demolition massacres

The report monitored 380 demolition and bulldozing operations carried out by the occupation, including: 92 forced self-demolition operations and 259 demolition operations carried out by the occupation’s machinery, in addition to 29 bulldozing operations.

The occupation authorities delivered more than 130 demolition notices in various parts of the Jerusalem Governorate, in the Bab al-Amud area, the towns of Silwan, al-Jib, Hizma, Anata, Jaba, Jabal al-Mukaber, Kafr Aqab, and Shuafat camp, in the Abu al-Nuwar community east of occupied Jerusalem, and the neighborhoods of al-Bustan, Yasul, and Wadi al-Joz, and the al-Khunaidiq and Ras al-Nader areas in the town of Beit Anan northwest of occupied Jerusalem.

 In May of last year, the occupation forces notified the demolition of dozens of shops along the road linking the Jaba and Qalandia military checkpoints north of occupied Jerusalem, and a bridge linking the towns of Jaba and Al-Ram.

Settlement expansion

According to the Jerusalem Governorate report, the occupation has approved 19 new colonial projects, begun implementing 12 projects that were previously approved, and completed work on 4 other projects.