Israeli settlers storm al-Aqsa compound, IOF detain al-Khalil mayor
3 Min Read
Israeli settlers storm al-Aqsa as occupation forces intensify West Bank raids, arresting al-Khalil's mayor and attacking Kisan village.
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Members of Israeli security forces stand next to an armored vehicle during a military raid in the West Bank city of Nablus, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (AP)
Israeli settlers, under the protection of the Israeli police, stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied city of al-Quds, entering in groups through the Mughrabi Gate, where dozens of settlers performed Talmudic rituals in the mosque's courtyards and carried out provocative tours.
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces arrested the mayor of al-Khalil, Tayseer Abu Sneineh, on Tuesday, as part of a widespread raid campaign across various areas in the governorate.
The forces raided the mayor's home in al-Khalil, searched it after breaking down its doors and rummaging through its contents, and then arrested him and took him to an unknown location, leaving significant damage in their wake.
Hamas condemns arrest of al-Khalil mayor
Following the arrest, Hamas issued a statement condemning the detention of Abu Sneineh as a continuation of the occupation's aggressive and brutal policies, which target all facets of Palestinian society.
The movement further emphasized that "this egregious assault and arbitrary arrest are part of a broader, dangerous campaign targeting the city of al-Khalil by the terrorist Zionist government, aligned with its schemes to annex territories in the occupied West Bank."
It also called on Palestinians in al-Khalil to protect the national project and to stand as a firm barrier against all the occupation's schemes targeting the city.
The statement affirmed that all the occupation's attempts to replicate previous models of control are doomed to fail, just as the Village Leagues initiative failed, and called on all international, human rights, and humanitarian institutions to uphold their legal and moral responsibilities by pressuring the occupation to put an end to these escalating violations against the Palestinian people.
IOF conduct wide arrests in the West Bank
Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued its widespread arrest campaign in the West Bank, detaining a Palestinian youth from the town of Yatta after raiding and ransacking his home. Additionally, Israeli forces also stormed the towns of Halhul and Idhna west of al-Khalil, where they raided numerous homes, detained dozens of citizens, and subjected them to on-the-spot interrogation.
Furthermore, the occupation forces tightened their military measures throughout the Hebron Governorate by erecting numerous checkpoints at the entrances to the city, its towns, villages, and refugee camps, and closing a number of main and secondary roads with iron gates, concrete blocks, and earthen barricades.
Additionally, in the early hours of Tuesday, Israeli forces arrested a young man from the town of Yamun, west of Jenin, and demolished a home south of Qalqilya.
Israeli settlers storm Beit Lahm
Additionally, the Israeli Occupation Forces arrested three Palestinians from the Beit Lahm Governorate, while settlers attacked Palestinian homes in the village of Kisan, east of Beit Lahm.
According to the Palestinian WAFA news agency, a group of settlers from the illegal outposts built on lands belonging to the village of al-Minya stormed into Kisan, gathered near the main road, and launched sound grenades while pelting local homes with stones.
The Head of the Commission for Resisting the Wall and Settlements, Minister Muayyad Shaban, stated that Israeli occupation forces and settlers carried out 1,613 attacks during last August, continuing their relentless campaign of terror against the Palestinian people, their lands, and their property.
