Israeli settlers also torched Palestinian-owned farmlands and stabbed a Palestinian in the town of Duma, south of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.
Dozens of illegal Israeli Jewish settlers stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, under heavy police protection, on Thursday. While in the occupied West Bank, settler mobs intensified attacks on Palestinians and their properties.
Witnesses reported that settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque’s courtyards and performed Talmudic rituals in front of the Dome of the Rock, chanting loudly in the presence of Palestinian worshippers, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Under the army’s cover, Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, performing Talmudic hymns and singing provocatively. pic.twitter.com/CCJ1G6jntH
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 1, 2025
Some settlers, the report added, were also seen performing what is known as the “epic prostration” in the courtyards and raising Israeli flags within the Muslim sacred site.
In recent days, settlers have circulated calls on social media urging increased incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the report noted.
Masafer Yatta
Elsewhere on Thursday, settlers vandalized Palestinian-owned property in the Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron, WAFA reported.
Activist Osama Makhamra said the settlers damaged a fence surrounding land belonging to a resident in the village of Susiya in Masafer Yatta.
Right now five large Israeli bulldozers are demolishing homes and water wells in Masafer Yatta. pic.twitter.com/Nl6ZoSiaZI
— Basel Adra (@basel_adra) April 29, 2025
Israeli forces detained another resident from the Wadi Jhaish community after settlers chased him and prevented him from accessing nearby grazing lands.
Makhamra stressed that the settlers, under the protection of the army, continue to harass shepherds and attack residents and their property as part of an ongoing campaign aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians for the benefit of colonial expansion, WAFA reported.
Nablus Farmland Torched
Israeli settlers on Wednesday evening also torched Palestinian-owned farmlands and stabbed a Palestinian in the town of Duma, south of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, according to WAFA.
They descended upon the town and set fire to olive groves, which had been providing Palestinian farmers and their families with their livelihood and sustenance, in the western part of the town.
Israeli settler mobs storm Palestinian lands in the town of Abud near Ramallah. pic.twitter.com/nzo0s6jlWa
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 1, 2025
The settlers also attacked a 27-year-old Palestinian man, stabbing him in the back, according to the report. He was rushed to the hospital, but no immediate information about his medical condition was available.
The attack came as huge fires rapidly spread across the Jerusalem Hills, reaching Israeli military bases and prompting Israel to request international assistance, with Greece, Croatia, Italy, and Cyprus deploying firefighting resources.
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The fires coincided with a heatwave combined with strong winds that caused the fires to spiral out of control, prompting the evacuation of many communities.
WAFA reported that settlers increased their attacks against Palestinians, particularly following claims that Palestinians had started the wave of fires in Israel.
Nur Shams, Tulkarm
In the early hours of Thursday, Israeli occupation forces deliberately set fire to a house in the eastern neighborhood of Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem, WAFA reported. The fire engulfed the home and a nearby parked vehicle.
Israeli forces continue their military onslaught on the city of Tulkarem and its refugee camp for the 95th consecutive day, and for the 82nd day on Nur Shams camp, amid ongoing field escalation, frequent raids, and home invasions.
Satellite images of the Jenin, Nur al-Shams, and Tulkarm refugee camps, published yesterday, reveal the extent of the destruction caused by two months of Israel Defense Forces operations in the West Bank.
There are no Hamas forces or infrastructure there to dismantle. pic.twitter.com/gp5g1zUwY0
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) April 29, 2025
Both Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps and their surroundings are witnessing a heavy Israeli military presence, with constant gunfire, the firing of stun grenades, and periodic explosions. The camps remain under a tight siege, with entrances sealed off by earth mounds. Soldiers are raiding and ransacking homes, forcing remaining residents to evacuate at gunpoint, the report noted.
The continued Israeli onslaught has so far resulted in the killing of 13 Palestinians, including a child and two women, one of whom was eight months pregnant. Dozens more have been injured or detained.
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The escalation has also led to the forced displacement of over 4,200 families—more than 25,000 people—from the two camps, in addition to hundreds from the northern and eastern neighborhoods of Tulkarem city, where Israeli forces seized homes and turned some into military outposts.
In addition, 396 Palestinian homes have been completely destroyed, and 2,573 others have been partially damaged across Tulkarem and Nur Shams camp s by occupation forces. The entrances and alleyways of both camps remain blocked by earth barriers.
(PC, WAFA)
“WAFA reported that settlers increased their attacks against Palestinians, particularly following claims that Palestinians had started the wave of fires in Israel.” This reminds me of some Mediaeval European claims about the European Jewish communities. It’s bitterly ironic, how the Israel settler-terrorists are carbon copies of the the people they were taught were evil beyond measure.