Israeli settlers continue to storm the al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem under heavy protection from the Israeli police, as reported by Wafa News agency.
According to reports, some 172 settlers stormed the holy mosque from the Mughariba Gate and performed Talmudic (Jewish) rituals with police restricting access to Palestanain people at the gates of the Old City.
“The so-called Temple groups called on their followers to carry out massive incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque at midnight before the Jewish Passover, on the twenty-third of this month, to offer the sacrifice,” the report said.
Israeli forces have killed 59 Palestinians and injured nearly 172 others in the occupied city of Jerusalem since Israel began its war on Gaza on the 7th of October.
Moreover, Israel authorities issued 85 house arrest, 68 deportation and demolished 133 homes in the same time.
Also, 18,301 settlers have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque since October 7.
For Muslims, the Noble Sanctuary hosts Islam’s third holiest site, the al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock, a seventh-century structure believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ascended to heaven.
Jews believe the compound is where the Biblical Jewish temples once stood, but Jewish law and the Israeli Rabbinate forbid Jews from entering the compound and praying there, as it is considered too holy to tread upon.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, including the Old City, in 1967 war.
Since 1967, an agreement between Jordan and Israel stipulated that the Waqf, representing the Islamic trust, would oversee internal affairs within the compound, while Israel would maintain control over external security. Non-Muslims were permitted to visit the site during designated hours but were prohibited from praying there.
However, the prohibition on Jewish entry into the compound has faced opposition from growing Temple movements, which seek to reconstruct the Third Jewish Temple within the premises.
Such groups are funded by members of the Israeli government with Israeli forces routinely allowing settlers to storm the al-Aqsa compound under police and military protection, stirring clashes with Palestinians.
When Hamas launched its “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” attack against Israel on October 7, it’s spokesperson Khaled Qadomi said that was in response to the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence.
Israel responded with heavy aerial bombardment which has killed at least 34,151 Palestinians and injured 77,084 people till this date.