After the Suppression of the Olive Harvest: Settlers Begin Their Attacks on Mosques in Al-Quds and the West Bank
Occupation forces arrest a Palestinian in the West Bank (Photos: Palestinian WAFA News Agency)
November 19, 2024
The Israeli occupation forces murdered and injured 1,304 Palestinians during the past seven days. Most of these casualties resulted from shelling that focused on the northern Gaza Strip and targeted scattered gatherings but at a wider pace. The occupation forces have recently escalated their tactics, carrying out mass killings of families in (31) separate massacres that targeted displaced person’s tents, shelters and homes in Beit Lahia and Jabalia in northern Gaza and Deir al-Balah in the center, extending to many other areas. This included the bombing of a clinic affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The occupation forces also bombed and burned UNRWA humanitarian aid trucks after allowing them to enter the Gaza Strip. UNRWA also revealed that Israel had launched (64) attacks on schools that were being used as shelters for the displaced persons.
The Media Observatory of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for Israeli Crimes against the Palestinians documented the fall of (319) murdered in the Gaza Strip between November 12-18, 2024, and recorded (959) injuries. As of the writing of this report, the total number of murdered since October 7, 2023, stands at (44,706), and (110,148) wounded.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that more than (2,000) murdered fell in the massacres committed by the occupation forces in the northern Gaza Strip in the past few weeks, with more than (6,000) others injured. In its assessment of the Israeli aggression, the US based Human Rights Watch organization condemned Israel’s practices, stating that Israel committed war crimes through its direct practice of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of Palestinians.
In terms of violations in occupied Al-Quds, the Israeli occupation forces allowed extremists settlers to storm the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque through the Mughrabi Gate to perform their Talmudic rituals. The storming of Al-Aqsa by extremists occurred almost daily throughout the past week. In addition, Israel restricted the entry of Palestinian worshipers to the mosque. It also confiscated a popular café in Al-Quds for the benefit of settlers.
With regard to targeting homes, the occupation forces demolished (8) homes, four of which were located in the occupied city of Al-Quds, and the rest in various cities of the West Bank. They also demolished a mosque, a guest house, and five mobile homes in the Bedouin community near Jaba’ – Al-Quds.
Additionally, Israeli forces confiscated a mobile home in the Tubas Governorate, demolished a pond for collecting water for agricultural purposes in Beit Ummar in Hebron and destroyed a commercial kiosk in Bethlehem. They also occupied a home in Al-Jalboun in Jenin.
In the same context, the occupation forces ordered the confiscation of 546.42 dunums of land in the towns and villages of Salfit to expand a settlement road. It also announced a plan to confiscate 8,750 dunums of land in the town of Kafr ad-Dik, with the aim of expanding the “Beduel” settlement.
The number of settlement activities during the period from November 12 to 18, 2024, amounted to (5) activities represented by settlers setting up tents and mobile homes in the village of al-Jab’a, Khallet al-Khader and the Tel al-Rumaida neighborhood in Hebron with the aim of establishing new settlement outposts, in addition to setting up tents and building sheep pens in the town of al-Auja in Jericho for the same purpose.
A review of the ongoing Israeli attacks on the cities and villages of the West Bank shows that, in the past week, the Israeli occupation forces murdered five Palestinians, injured (22) and arrested (118) others.
The olive harvest season, which is in its final stages, witnessed (27) attacks against (25) villages by the occupation forces and settlers.
The villages of the West Bank witnessed (61) raids during the past week, during which settlers burned (6) cars in Nablus and Al-Quds, stole (13) sheep, stormed the Ibad al-Rahman Mosque in Dura, Hebron, climbed its minaret and danced on it, and another settler stormed the Salah al-Din Mosque in the town of Abu Dis and called for its demolition.
As a result, the total number of Israeli crimes across various Palestinian areas during the past week reached (2,128) crimes, ranging from massacres in the Gaza Strip, settler attacks, and deliberate targeting of mosques in Al-Quds and the West Bank.