Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa mosque, 15 Killed in Gaza new year strike

Over 600 Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem as 2025 began with an Israeli massacre in Jabalia.

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As the world welcomed 2025, tensions in Israel and Palestine escalated dramatically, with over 600 Israeli settlers storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, while Israeli forces launched a deadly strike in Gaza, leaving 15 Palestinians dead and dozens more injured.

According to Wafa news agency, 632 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under the protection of Israeli police, engaging in provocative tours of the holy site and performing Talmudic rituals.

The actions, which violate the long-standing status quo permitting only Muslim prayer at the site, were met with condemnation from local sources, who also reported that Israeli police had blocked Palestinians from entering the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem, including access to Al-Aqsa Mosque.

While these confrontations unfolded in Jerusalem, the Israeli military continued its bombardment of Gaza where shortly after midnight, the town of Jabalia was struck by an airstrike targeting a house where displaced families had taken refuge.

Civil defense agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal confirmed that 15 people were martyred, and more than 20 others were injured in the attack. Rescue workers struggled to pull victims from the rubble of the collapsed house, which had been home to the Badra, Abu Warda, and Taroush families.

“The house has turned into a pile of debris,” said Jibri Abu Warda, a relative of the victims. “It was a massacre, with body parts of children and women scattered everywhere. They were sleeping when the house was bombed. No one knows why they targeted the house. They were all civilians.”

Since October 6, Israel's military operations in northern Gaza, particularly in Jabalia, have intensified, with claims of targeting Hamas militants while causing extensive civilian casualties.

The United Nations has condemned the ongoing siege, with experts suggesting it may be part of an effort to permanently displace Gaza's population as a precursor to annexation.

As the new year begins with continued violence, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, with nearly all of its 2.4 million residents having been displaced at least once since the conflict began in October 2023.