OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
Eleven Palestinians were martyred and 191 others were injured, while the Israeli occupation forces detained 866 citizens in Jerusalem during the first half of 2026, according to a report issued by the Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem Governorate, which documented a wide escalation in Israeli violations against Palestinians and Islamic sanctities. The martyrs Jerusalem Governorate reported the martyrdom of 11 Palestinians, including three by settlers and eight by occupation forces, and among the victims were two workers targeted by the occupation forces while trying to reach their workplaces near the apartheid wall in the town of al-Ram. Injuries The report monitored 191 injuries, including 37 among Palestinian workers, distributed between live and rubber bullets, physical assault, gas bombs, running over, and stone-throwing, that included children, women, workers, and a Christian cleric. Al-Aqsa Mosque Al-Aqsa Mosque witnessed an unprecedented escalation, as 25,604 settlers stormed it, while 524,912 people entered under the cover of what is called “tourism,” amid strict measures and a near-complete closure of the Mosque during the month of March, alongside the escalation of Talmudic rituals, attempts to introduce sacrifices, extending the hours of incursions, and raising Israeli flags inside its courtyards. Settler attacks Settlers carried out 269 attacks throughout the governorate, including 52 physical assaults, which resulted in the martyrdom of three Jerusalemites, and included gunfire, burning property, seizing homes, and attacking Islamic and Christian sanctities. Detentions The report monitored the detention of 866 Palestinians, including 35 children and 21 women, alongside the issuance of 140 sentences and decisions against Jerusalemite prisoners, including 105 administrative detention orders and 18 actual imprisonment sentences, in addition to 31 house arrests, 762 deportations, and 10 travel bans. Demolition The occupation authorities carried out 288 demolition and bulldozing operations, including 66 self-demolition operations, 198 demolition operations, and 24 bulldozing operations, which is the highest number recorded during the first half of the year in the last six years, and the governorate also documented 352 notices and decisions that included demolition, eviction, confiscation, and stop-construction orders. Institutions The report monitored an escalation in targeting religious, educational, cultural, and media institutions, which included closing Al-Aqsa Mosque, targeting UNRWA facilities, storming schools and cultural institutions, and attacking journalists, alongside targeting Islamic and Christian sanctities. Settlement Jerusalem Governorate documented 89 settlement plans and projects during the first half of the year, including 30 plans to establish 3,790 settlement units, and the approval of 21 plans comprising 2,435 units, in addition to proposing seven new plans that include 4,245 settlement units, within the framework of continuing settlement expansion in the city.