Report: 23 Palestinians martyred in Jerusalem and 25,000 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa in 2024

An official Palestinian report revealed, on Tuesday, that 23 Palestinians were martyred in occupied Jerusalem during the first half of 2024, and that 25,054 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the same period.

The report on the “Crimes of the Israeli Occupation” issued by the Jerusalem Governorate, the highest local government authority representing the city, stated that “23 martyrs were killed in Jerusalem during the first half of 2024, including 10 children, the youngest of whom was a girl who was no more than 4 years old.”

The report explained that the occupation army is holding "the bodies of 41 Jerusalemite martyrs until the end of the first half of 2024," noting that "the attacks of settlers and Jewish extremists on Palestinians in general and on the residents of the Jerusalem Governorate in particular have increased (and reached) 73 attacks, including 10 physical assaults," adding that "79 injuries resulted from live and rubber-coated metal bullets and severe beatings, in addition to cases of suffocation from gas."

Assault on Al-Aqsa

Regarding Al-Aqsa Mosque, the report said that “25,054 settlers and 19,118 under the name of tourism stormed the mosque during the de facto situation imposed by the occupation and called the morning and evening periods with the support of the occupation police, and during the storming they performed Talmudic prayers and rituals.”

Throughout the first half of 2024, the Israeli occupation authorities continued to besiege Al-Aqsa Mosque, “which they imposed since October 7 (the start of the war on Gaza) by restricting the entry of Muslim worshippers into it,” according to the governorate.

Christian sanctities

Regarding Christian holy sites, the report noted that thousands of Christians were deprived this year of access to Jerusalem to celebrate the holidays, and that they were being restricted.

The source pointed out that "the occupation municipality delivered (during June 2024) to the heads of churches in Jerusalem, Jaffa, Nazareth and Ramla a decision that the occupation municipality will take legal action against them due to their failure to pay real estate taxes (Arnona), in violation of the status quo agreement and international laws."

Arrests

The report also monitored "708 cases of arrest in all areas of the Jerusalem Governorate, including 73 children and 37 women," noting that "205 rulings were issued during 2024 with actual imprisonment against Jerusalemite prisoners," "28 decisions of house arrest," and "54 deportation decisions, 31 of which were to deport them from Al-Aqsa Mosque."

Demolition and settlement

The governorate continued, "127 demolitions and bulldozing operations took place during the same year, including 42 forced self-demolitions (to avoid fines imposed by the Israeli municipality if it carried out the demolition), and 73 demolitions carried out by occupation forces, under the pretext that they were built without a permit, despite the scarcity of approval for the necessary permits to build homes for Jerusalemites."

The report indicated the approval of "13 new settlement projects, in addition to the commencement of implementation of more than 9 projects that were previously approved, and the occupation authorities completed work on two colonial projects."

Coinciding with the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, the Israeli occupation army intensified its deployment and operations in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, leaving 556 martyrs and 5,300 wounded, according to data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.