Dozens of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday under heavy police protection as tensions continue to boil across the occupied West Bank, Palestinian authorities said.
The Jerusalem Governorate said the settlers moved through the compound’s courtyards and carried out provocative religious rituals, including what is referred to as “epic prostration,” near Bab al-Rahma gate and the Dome of the Rock mosque inside the complex.
Groups affiliated with the so-called Temple movement circulated calls encouraging more settlers to storm the flashpoint site and raise Israeli flags inside its courtyards, the governorate added in a statement carried by the official news agency Wafa.
The incursion came as Israeli police continued to tighten restrictions across occupied East Jerusalem by setting up checkpoints, closing roads and limiting access for worshippers to the mosque.
Since early April, the pace of such incursions has increased, with Israeli settlers performing public rituals inside the compound.
Third-holiest site for Muslims
Last week, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the compound and performed Talmudic rituals alongside settlers, marking his third such incursion this year and the 16th since taking office in late 2022.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Since 2003, Israeli police have unilaterally allowed the settlers to enter the mosque daily during two periods — morning and afternoon prayers — except on Fridays and Saturdays.
Palestinians say Israel is intensifying efforts to Judaise East Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erase its Arab and Islamic identity.
The Palestinians regard occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, based on international resolutions that do not recognise Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967 or its annexation in 1980.
