More than 1,300 settlers breach Al-Aqsa under the protection of Israeli police

More than 1,300 Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday, under the protection of police that imposed strict restrictions on the entry of worshippers. The incursions came in response to calls launched by extremist Israeli right-wing groups on the occasion of the so-called “Day of the Destruction of the Temple.”

Witnesses told Anadolu Agency that hundreds of settlers continued to enter the mosque through the Moroccan Gate in the Western Wall, amid tight police protection. They added that the police had imposed strict restrictions on worshippers’ entry to the mosque since the Fajr (dawn) prayer, while settlers stormed its courtyards in large groups.

Witnesses reported that the incursions were accompanied by widespread violations, including the performance of prayers and Talmudic rituals at high volume, including what is known as “prostration on the ground.” Local sources estimated that more than 1,300 settlers had entered the mosque by 07:00 GMT, with the incursions still ongoing.

Since 2003, Israeli police have unilaterally allowed settlers to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, while the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf has repeatedly called for an end to this practice without any response from Israeli authorities.

Jews annually observe the “Day of the Destruction of the Temple” with fasting and mourning, claiming that the Babylonians and Romans destroyed the First and Second Temples in 586 BCE and 70 CE, respectively. Palestinians say that Israel is intensifying its efforts to Judaize East Jerusalem and erase its Arab and Islamic identity, while they insist on it as the capital of their future state.