JENIN, July 18, 2025 (WAFA) — Israeli occupation forces attacked Palestinian worshippers today as they performed Friday prayers on Mount Al-Masalmeh in the village of Raba, south of Jenin, in protest against Israeli plans to establish a military base and a new road on the mountain.
Local sources reported that Israeli troops fired tear gas at the worshippers during the peaceful prayer gathering, which was held as an act of civil resistance against land confiscation and settlement expansion.
Confrontations erupted following the assault, as Israeli forces brought in reinforcements to suppress the gathering. Residents also spotted Israeli settlers erecting a tent at the summit of the mountain, signaling potential settlement activity.
Ghasan Bazour, head of the Raba Village Council, told WAFA that Israeli bulldozers began leveling land near the mountain to construct a military road. He noted that the planned road does not fall within the previously announced confiscation zones, meaning a significantly larger area of farmland—estimated at around 2,200 dunums—located east of the separation wall will become inaccessible to residents.
Israeli authorities had recently issued new orders to seize land in the southern and southeastern parts of Raba for the purpose of building a military road and base on Mount Al-Masalmeh, sparking widespread local opposition and weekly demonstrations.
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