Hundreds of extremist settlers stormed the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied city of Jerusalem this Thursday morning, under tight security protection from the Israeli occupation forces. These incursions were led by Knesset member Amit Halevi of the Likud party, coinciding with the commemoration of what is called the 'anniversary of the destruction of the Temple,' amidst intensified military measures affecting the vicinity of the Old City and the gates of the Mosque.
Settler groups carried out extensive provocative tours throughout the Mosque, deliberately performing public Talmudic rituals, including what is known as 'epic prostration' in the eastern area. The intruders also chanted prayers and religious hymns loudly, and some wore 'tefillin' in a clear challenge to the feelings of worshippers and the status quo in the holy Haram al-Sharif.
Sources from the Jerusalem Governorate reported that the number of intruders exceeded 1,300 settlers during the morning tour alone, with groups continuing to flow through the Mughrabi Gate, which was opened early. The sources indicated that the occupation police provided unprecedented facilities to the intruders, by increasing the number of individuals in each group to about 150 people to ensure the speed and intensity of the incursion.
In the context of restricting Palestinians, occupation forces imposed strict restrictions, preventing hundreds of worshippers from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform prayers. Field reports stated that very limited numbers were able to perform dawn prayers inside the Mosque, due to the military checkpoints spread in the alleys of old Jerusalem and at the main entrances to the Mosque.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards witnessed direct assaults by occupation police elements on citizens and worshippers present, with cases of assault by beating recorded to clear paths for settlers. These developments come after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir appeared in video clips during his participation in previous incursions, reflecting official governmental support for these violations.
Extremist 'Temple' groups seek through these gatherings to break previous records, having launched intensive calls to their supporters aimed at reaching 5,000 intruders during today's hours. These movements, according to observers, aim to establish a new reality within Al-Aqsa Mosque and divide it temporally and spatially by imposing Jewish rituals as a fait accompli under armed protection.
Local sources confirmed that occupation forces raised the state of alert in the city of Jerusalem and transformed the Old City into a military barracks to secure settler marches. These incursions coincide with strenuous Israeli efforts to change the historical and legal status quo in Al-Aqsa, amidst Palestinian warnings of an explosion of the situation as a result of the continuation of these systematic provocations.
Occupation forces continue to impose strict measures at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque and in the vicinity of the Old City, preventing large numbers of worshippers from reaching the Mosque.
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Hundreds of settlers storm Al-Aqsa on the anniversary of the 'destruction of the Temple' under heavy protection