Settlers storm Al-Aqsa, and the occupation turns homes in the West Bank into barracks.

Dozens of settlers stormed the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque today, Thursday, coinciding with the observance of the Jewish Yom Kippur, while Israeli occupation forces continued their incursions into several cities and towns in the occupied West Bank.

Sources reported that dozens of settlers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque from the direction of the Mughrabi Gate, under heavy protection from the Israeli occupation police, performing Talmudic rituals and prayers and organizing provocative tours.

Meanwhile, local sources indicated that the occupation forces tightened their military measures in the Old City and around the mosque, preventing Palestinians from entering the mosque during the morning incursions, while allowing settlers to enter and perform Talmudic religious rituals.

Groups known as 'The Temple Organizations Union' called for new mass incursions next Monday, coinciding with the Hebrew holiday of 'Sukkot.'

Yesterday, Wednesday, about 600 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on the eve of the Jewish Yom Kippur, which is considered the holiest holiday for Jews and the only day on which the law mandates fasting.

In parallel, the Israeli occupation forces intensified their security measures in the occupied city of Jerusalem, where they deployed concrete blocks and iron barriers and closed dozens of main streets since Wednesday evening.

The occupation forces closed the roads leading to the neighborhoods of Silwan, Al-Issawiya, Al-Tur, Sheikh Jarrah, and Wadi Al-Joz, and increased their presence at the entrances to the Old City and the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

In the occupied West Bank as well, the Israeli occupation forces continued their incursions into several cities and towns today, Thursday, which included assaults on citizens and turning homes into military barracks.

In Jenin Governorate, the occupation forces turned two homes belonging to the Abu Heija family in the town of Yamoun into military barracks after raiding them and establishing a presence inside.

The forces also raided the town of Ya'bad south of Jenin and turned a residential building belonging to Nayef Abu Bakr into a military barrack, while detaining a citizen inside his home.

In a related context, the Al-Quds Brigades – Jenin Battalion announced that its fighters managed at dawn today to detonate an explosive device against military reinforcements storming the town of Ya'bad, causing confirmed injuries.

In Nablus, occupation soldiers assaulted a citizen this morning with severe beating at the Mount Gerizim checkpoint, resulting in bruises to his chest.

Since the onset of the comprehensive Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, more than 1,048 Palestinians have been martyred in the occupied West Bank alone.