Jewish Entries to Al-Aqsa Surge 22 Percent in 2025
The figures, drawn from data compiled by the Islamic Waqf Administration in Jerusalem, were released in the International Jerusalem Foundation's annual report. The document recorded 65,364 individual entries into the holy site over the course of the year.
Political incursions into the compound also rose sharply. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was among the officials who entered the site, alongside several members of parliament. Such politically charged visits climbed from nine recorded incidents in 2024 to 20 in 2025.
The report further documented a series of access changes introduced by Israeli authorities, including extended visiting hours, an increase in permitted group sizes from 120 to 200 participants, and shortened intervals between entry groups. The foundation characterized these measures as deliberate steps to upend the long-established status quo at the compound and engineer a new reality on the ground.
Israeli data presented a higher tally, putting the number of Jewish visitors at 76,448 in 2025 — a 31% rise year-on-year.
Residency Revocations and Education Under Pressure
Beyond Al-Aqsa, the report painted a stark picture of Palestinian life under Israeli administration in Jerusalem. It recalled that 14,929 Palestinians had lost their residency and identification status between 1967 and 2024, with such revocations continuing into the present period.
On education, the foundation flagged a shortage of approximately 1,500 classrooms across occupied East Jerusalem, and confirmed that around 27% of Palestinian students between the ages of six and 17 were enrolled in the Israeli curriculum.
Economically, the report found that roughly 77% of families in Jerusalem live below the poverty line — a figure the foundation cited alongside what it described as intensifying "Judaization" policies targeting the city's identity.
The foundation warned that the current moment constitutes a critical turning point, with Palestinian voices and international observers pointing to an accelerating campaign to reshape East Jerusalem — including the Al-Aqsa compound — and erase the city's Arab and Islamic character.
Palestinians, citing international resolutions that recognize neither Israel's 1967 occupation of the city nor its 1980 annexation, continue to view East Jerusalem as the rightful capital of a future Palestinian state.
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