Attacks by occupation forces on mosques in West Bank reaches peak

Al-Aqsa Mosque. OIC Photo

Jeddah, March 4, 2025 - Israel, the occupying force, continues its policy of collective punishment against the Palestinian people. After forcibly evacuating three camps in the West Bank, Israeli forces have now restricted the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, which constitutes a blatant violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions. This decision followed the United Nations' recognition of the already severe challenges facing the delivery of aid and necessities to Gaza, especially with the onset of the holy month of Ramadan. The United Nations has characterized the situation in Gaza as catastrophic, given the critical shortage of essential supplies.

The OIC Media Observatory on Israeli Crimes against Palestinians has documented the dire conditions faced by the people of Gaza. One of the most tragic incidents reported is the death of six children due to the severe cold while sleeping in the open. During the week of February 25 to March 3, 2025, the Observatory recorded the murder of ten Palestinians in Gaza, despite a ceasefire agreement that was frequently violated by Israel. Rescue teams managed to recover 43 bodies from under the rubble during this period. In total, there were 57 documented Palestinian martyrs over the past seven days, including four from the West Bank, along with 106 individuals reported as wounded during the same timeframe.

The Observatory reported the martyrdom of 49,325 Palestinians from October 7, 2023, to March 3, 2025, while the number of wounded during the same period reached 118,512.

According to the Observatory, Israeli crimes and violations against mosques in the West Bank, particularly the Al-Aqsa Mosque, have reached record levels over the past week. The Observatory documented daily raids by Israeli extremists, with occupation forces preventing the call to prayer a total of 44 times at the Ibrahimi Mosque. Additionally, there have been ongoing attacks on the mosque, assaults on its staff, and the expulsion of some employees. There is also a continuous threat to remove archaeological landmarks from the Ibrahimi Mosque and restrictions preventing worshipers from performing the Isha and Tarawih prayers.

From October 7, 2023, to March 3, 2025, Israeli attacks on mosques in the West Bank have occurred 47 times. This includes two incidents last week, where occupation forces raided and searched a mosque in the village of Zawata and the Imam Ali Mosque in Nablus.

In the West Bank, occupation forces arrested 190 Palestinians, bulldozed a street, and destroyed infrastructure near Al-Sanaa School in Tulkarm. They also bulldozed agricultural land and retaining walls, uprooted trees, and demolished house pillars and a water collection well west of Kafr al-Dik in Salfit. In the village of Beit Iksa in Al-Quds, they bulldozed agricultural land and uprooted olive trees. Additionally, a Palestinian family was forced to evacuate their home in the Khirbet Abu al-Raish area of Salfit, and several vehicles were destroyed in Jenin. Between February 25 and March 3, 2025, the occupation forces destroyed a total of 19 houses across various cities in the West Bank. Four additional houses were burned, along with 28 multi-use barns and tents. They also demolished a livestock farm in Al-Quds, a supermarket, a rest house, part of a date factory, a restaurant, and a football field in Jericho.

The occupation forces have issued a military order to confiscate 8,438 dunums of land located near the "Karmiel" settlement, east of the town of Yatta in Hebron. They have also issued another order to confiscate 5,217 dunums of land from the town of Tamoun in Tubas for the purpose of settlement projects.

During a raid on the town of Sa'ir in Hebron, the occupation forces confiscated a private vehicle. Additionally, in Beit Ummar, Hebron, they seized 3,500 shekels, personal belongings, a mobile phone, and personal computers. In Salfit, a bulldozer was also confiscated, along with two vehicles in the Jalazone Camp in Al-Quds.

During the past week, there were 31 attacks carried out by settlers against Palestinians. These incidents included the demolition of an agricultural pen in Kafr Qaddum, located in Qalqilya. Additionally, flocks of sheep were stolen from the villages of Duma and Aqraba in Nablus, as well as from Al-Auja in Jericho, where some sheep were also slaughtered. Settlers grazed their sheep on Palestinian agricultural lands in the Al-Farisiya area of Tubas and in the village of Deir Diwan in Ramallah. They also stole tents and water tanks in the northern Jordan Valley in Tubas. Furthermore, property was vandalized, and the windows of six cars were smashed in the towns of Khallet Al-Khader in Tubas, Burqin in Salfit, and Yatta in Hebron.

The number of settlement activities observed in the West Bank reached three this week. During this period, settlers paved a road for a settlement in Jericho, set up two tents in the areas of Tina and Hajjar in Bethlehem, and placed two mobile homes near the Taybeh area, where an occupation forces camp is located. This activity is part of an effort to establish a new settlement outpost on the lands of Beit Kahil in Hebron. Additionally, the total number of Israeli crimes and violations within the past seven days has reached 1,401, with these incidents occurring in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and occupied Al-Quds. – OIC News