70,000 Perform The Friday Prayers in Al Aqsa

CROSSFIREARABIA – Around 70,000 performed the Friday prayers in the Al Aqsa Mosque despite sever restrictions imposed by forces of the Israeli occupation on the Muslim holy places in East Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Awqaf Directorate stated, Friday, that around 70,000 Palestinians from all over the occupied West Bank made the noon prayers in the Al Aqsa compound. It added that thousands gathered in the vicinity of the holy places since early morning.  

Continue reading
Israeli Settlers Torch a Mosque Near Hebron, Burn 2 Homes

Settlers set fire to a mosque and two houses in the village of Tuwana in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the southern West Bank, Saturday night.  The attack caused extensive damage to the targeted buildings and also set fire to a civilian vehicle.

Tuwana Village Council Mayor, Muhammad Raba’i, said settlers from the Havat Ma’on outpost stormed the village and set fire to two houses owned by Kamal Musa Raba’i and Mahmoud Salman Raba’i, in addition to setting fire to a vehicle belonging to Hisham al-Harini.

The settlers, under the protection of the Israeli army, also set fire to the Tuwana Mosque using flammable materials, causing the fire to spread to a large area of ​​the surrounding property.

The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs condemned the arson attack on the mosque, calling it a “dangerous escalation and a crossing of all red lines.” The Ministry emphasized that targeting places of worship constitutes an attack on all religious and humanitarian values.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry stated the burning of the Al-Tuwana Mosque was a “fully-fledged act of terrorism,” considering it part of a policy aimed at displacing the residents of Masafer Yatta, with the “support and green light of the extremist occupation government.”

The Ministry held the Israeli occupation government fully responsible for the crime and its repercussions, calling on the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and international human rights organizations to intervene urgently to hold the occupation and its settlers accountable and to provide international protection for Palestinians and their holy sites.

The West Bank has witnessed an escalation in attacks by settlers and the Israeli army on Palestinian agricultural lands, including arson, bulldozing, and preventing farmers from accessing their lands, particularly in areas near settlements and outposts.

Since October 8, 2023, the Israeli escalation in the West Bank has resulted in the killing of 1,173 Palestinians and the injury of 12,666 others, in addition to the arrest of approximately 23,000 and the displacement of 33,000, according to official Palestinian figures as reported by Quds Press.

Continue reading
Palestinian Woman Dies Waiting For an Ambulance at Israeli Checkpoint

CROSSFIREARABIA – A 30-year-old Palestinian woman died because Israeli soldiers wouldn’t allow an ambulance to pass at an electronic checkpoint leading to the village of Sinjil which is located north-east of Ramallah. According to Sinjil Mayor Mutaz Tawafsha the ambulance had to wait more than 30 minutes before it was allowed to pass the checkpoint by which time, Sujood Fuqhaa, who had suffered from a heartache, died. Tawafsha said in such cases time is of the essence and young mother of two, could have been taken to hospital and treated if the ambulance had not been stopped by the Israelis, blaming the iron security checkpoints for the continual deaths of the people of Sinjil. Her death comes at a town when Sinjil was subjected to a raid by 100 Israeli settlers recently according to local Palestinian sources. The settlers fired arms on the local people and set fire to their crops. This is just the latest for Sanjil is continually raided under the protection of the Israeli army according to the Palestine Information Center.

Continue reading
Israel Demolishes Palestinian School

Israeli occupiers on Thursday demolished the Yanon Mixed Basic School in the hamlet of Khirbet Yanon in the northern occupied West Bank, local media reported.

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the school demolition followed years of mounting pressure on the small Palestinian hamlet in the area.

Khirbet Yanon had for years faced repeated attempts by Israeli forces and occupiers to forcibly relocate residents from the area.

By Dec. 28, 2025, only one family remained in the hamlet after most residents had fled and the government-run school had closed.

Wafa said the hamlet had been home to 16 Palestinian families for two decades before occupier attacks and restrictions on movement, farming, and daily life forced most of the residents to leave for safety. The agency did not specify where the displaced families were relocated.

In a statement, the Palestinian Education Ministry described the demolition as “a new crime against Palestinian children” and “a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and international conventions that guarantee the right to education and prohibit attacks on educational institutions.”

It said the destruction of the school was part of a “systematic” policy aimed at undermining the education system, increasing pressure on Palestinian communities, and depriving children of their fundamental right to education. Anadolu

The ministry said it would continue working with partner organizations to ensure students can continue their education despite the ongoing Israeli violations.

It called on the international community, the UN, and human rights organizations to fulfill their legal and moral responsibilities by taking urgent action to protect education in Palestine, hold Israel accountable for repeated violations against students and schools, and end attacks on educational institutions.

Continue reading
Peace Now:  2025 Worst ‘Terror’ Year For Israeli Settlements  

The Israeli Peace Now movement revealed 2025 witnessed an unprecedented escalation in Israeli settlement projects in the occupied Palestinian territories. This escalation included the establishment of new settlements and outposts, expansion of existing settlements, and a rise in settler attacks, the demolition of Palestinian structures, and the displacement of entire communities. The report described this as part of an accelerated annexation policy targeting the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The report, titled “A Year of Terror, Displacement, and Annexation – A 2025 Settlement Summary,” explained that the occupation authorities approved the establishment of 54 new settlements during the year, including outposts that were “legalized.” It also noted the approval of 27,941 settlement units, the issuance of tenders for another 9,629 units, and the granting of new municipal boundaries to 27 settlements.

According to the report, a total of 86 new settlement outposts were established during 2025, including 60 pastoral outposts, at a rate of one to two outposts per week. This resulted in the complete or partial displacement of 22 Palestinian communities due to settler attacks.

The report also indicated that the occupation authorities demolished 1,269 Palestinian structures in Area C under the pretext of building without a permit. Meanwhile, 1,828 attacks by settlers against Palestinians and their property were recorded, resulting in the deaths of nine Palestinians and injuries to 838 others.

The movement asserted that the Israeli government, while facing internal crises, continues to pour billions of shekels into expanding the settlement project. It believes these policies aim to prevent any possibility of establishing a Palestinian state and will prolong the conflict, deepen Israel’s international isolation, and increase its economic burdens.

The report noted most of the new settlements were built deep within the West Bank, reinforcing Israeli control over vast areas of Palestinian land and undermining the chances of reaching a political settlement based on a two-state solution.

The United Nations and most countries consider Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian territory illegal under international law and believe they undermine the prospects for a two-state solution.

The Israeli Peace Now movement estimates that there are approximately half a million settlers in the West Bank, in addition to 250,000 settlers in settlements in East Jerusalem.

Palestinians view these projects as part of an accelerated Israeli policy of expanding settlements, confiscating land, and imposing new facts on the ground according to Quds Press.

Continue reading