More than 2,300 Israeli settlers and far-right group members stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, marking one of the largest incursions this year during the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av, Palestinian officials reported.
Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the site under heavy police protection, stating that Jews “feel like the owners” there and praising “tremendous progress,” according to Haaretz newspaper.
The Palestinian administration of the Jerusalem governorate said the number of Israelis entering could reach 5,000 by sundown, exceeding previous years’ figures for the same holiday. The initial count covered a three-hour period.
Israeli forces imposed tight restrictions at the mosque’s gates, barring many Palestinian worshippers and students, and assaulted several individuals, Palestinian officials said. Al Jazeera’s correspondent Nour Odeh reported “extreme measures in the Old City,” including tightened checkpoints.
Settlers performed Talmudic rituals inside the compound, including prostrating, singing, and praying. Israeli media reported police allowed over 1,000 Israelis to pray at the site, violating the 1967 status quo that permits non-Muslim visits but bans prayer.
Hamas warned that “blatant acts of aggression will backfire on the occupation and its settlers.” Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned Ben-Gvir’s visit as “a desecration of the sanctity of the mosque, an escalation, a barbaric act, and unacceptable provocation.”
Odeh noted that the involvement of ruling Likud party figures marks a “fundamental political shift,” with Palestinian and Muslim officials arguing that calls for rebuilding a Jewish temple are now “endorsed by key figures in the Israeli government and parliament.”
Incursions are expected to continue into Friday, potentially sparking further confrontations as Friday prayers draw thousands. Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967 and annexed it in 1980, a move not internationally recognized.
Source: www.aljazeera.com