Illegal Israeli Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque As Israeli Forces Detain 20 Palestinians In Occupied West Bank

Occupied Jerusalem, August 31 (Petra) -- Illegal Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Monday under the protection of Israeli occupation police.

Israeli occupation forces carried out a campaign of raids, incursions and arrests across various areas of the occupied West Bank, detaining 20 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club.

Clashes broke out during the raids, with Israeli forces firing tear gas and stun grenades, causing injuries and cases of suffocation. Dozens of homes were searched, with some sustaining damage to their contents, while residents were detained and subjected to hours-long field interrogations.

In Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank, Israeli occupation forces, accompanied by a military bulldozer, demolished two homes and a structure under construction in the New Nablus area.

In the village of Taybeh, east of Ramallah, illegal Israeli settlers forced the Bashir Na'im Kouna family to evacuate their home just one week after they had moved in, following repeated attacks and threats.

In Birzeit, north of Ramallah, Israeli occupation forces demolished two inhabited residential buildings in the Ain al-Saqi area, each consisting of four floors.

According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Israeli occupation authorities carried out 70 demolition operations in July, targeting 155 Palestinian structures, including 39 inhabited homes and 99 agricultural facilities.

The authorities issued 51 demolition orders during July.

The Commission documented 3,488 settler attacks during the first half of 2026, resulting in the deaths of 17 Palestinians, the displacement of 26 Bedouin and herding communities and the establishment of 42 settlement outposts.

//Petra// AK

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