At the start of Ramadan, Israeli occupation forces imposed sweeping restrictions across occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank, limiting access to Al-Aqsa Mosque and expanding military deployment, while demolishing a Palestinian residential complex in Hebron (Al-Khalil) that housed more than forty residents.
Key Developments
- Israeli occupation forces tightened movement restrictions and heavily deployed troops around Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- Israeli occupation authorities considered quotas and age limits on Palestinian worshippers entering Jerusalem during Ramadan.
- Palestinian officials warned that the measures constitute a “dangerous escalation” and a violation of worship rights.
- More than 250 deportation orders were issued against worshippers and preparations at Al-Aqsa were obstructed.
- A residential building housing over 40 Palestinians was demolished in Hebron despite legal ownership documents.
Ramadan Restrictions
Israeli occupation authorities imposed extensive restrictions across occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank on the first day of Ramadan, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority.
The measures included intensified military presence throughout occupied Jerusalem, reinforcement of special units across the West Bank, and expanded deployment along separation areas surrounding the city. Thousands of police and border guards were stationed around the Old City gates and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
On the first day of Ramadan, Israeli settler fanatics sacrilegiously sing and dance during their incursion into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/50pt7Q7SBC
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 18, 2026
Israeli officials said they were preparing for “all scenarios,” particularly in the Old City and at Al-Aqsa. According to Israeli media, plans discussed by Israeli occupation authorities included imposing numerical quotas and age restrictions on Palestinians from the West Bank seeking to pray at the mosque, especially during Friday prayers when tens of thousands typically attend.
Al-Jazeera reported that the measures were accompanied by arrests over alleged incitement, systematic monitoring of social media, and the operation of a surveillance operations room tracking speech and gatherings. Roads near the separation wall north of Jerusalem were also closed to prevent Palestinians from entering the city without permits.
‘Dangerous Escalation’
Palestinian political and religious authorities condemned the restrictions as a violation of religious freedom and an attempt to impose control over the holy site.
During a meeting at the headquarters of the Jerusalem Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization, officials described the measures as “a blatant and unacceptable interference in an inherent right of worship guaranteed by divine laws, international laws and human charters,” Al-Jazeera reported.
They affirmed that Al-Aqsa Mosque is “the exclusive right of Muslims alone” and that Israel has “no legal legitimacy” to regulate access to it.
Authorities called for mass attendance throughout Ramadan and urged Palestinians not to accept the restrictions as a fait accompli.
The Jerusalem Governorate stated that Israeli occupation forces prevented the Islamic Waqf Department from preparing the mosque for Ramadan and issued more than 250 deportation orders against worshippers. Officials said these steps aim to impose “unilateral realities that contradict the historical and legal status quo.”
Watch | Israeli occupation forces expelled several Muslim worshippers banned from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque, including elderly Jerusalemite Nafisa Khweis and Nizam Abu Ramouz, from the Old City on the first night of Ramadan.
The worshippers were prevented from performing the… pic.twitter.com/4rSCEahe9L
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 18, 2026
Demolition in Hebron
On the same day, Israeli occupation forces demolished a residential complex in the Al-Harayeq area south of Hebron near the Hagai settlement built on Palestinian land, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Bulldozers destroyed two inhabited buildings belonging to the Salhab family after troops forced residents to evacuate. The complex consisted of a three-story building containing six apartments and a second two-story building with four apartments, housing more than forty people.
Mohammed Salhab told WAFA that the demolition was carried out despite the family possessing official land registry documents proving ownership and despite filing an appeal in Israeli courts against the demolition order.
(PC, Al-Jazeera, Palestinian Media, WAFA)
