Hundreds of Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa as Occupation Restricts Palestinian Entry

The Palestinian Governorate of Jerusalem reported that settlers have been storming Al-Aqsa since early morning under heavy protection from Israeli occupation forces, performing Talmudic rituals inside its courtyards.

Sources from the Islamic Waqf told Al Jazeera Net that 422 settlers entered the mosque during the first three hours of the incursions. From Sunday to Thursday each week, settlers storm the mosque in two shifts: from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m., under reinforced security measures.

According to the governorate, the incursions coincide with calls by settler groups to intensify them on the occasion of what they call the “Hebrew anniversary of the occupation of Jerusalem” in 1967. Knesset member Ariel Kallner and extremist rabbi Yehuda Glick led the storming, with Glick holding a study session in the mosque’s eastern section.

Meanwhile, occupation police imposed strict measures on Palestinian worshippers, aiming to clear the mosque for settlers. Men under 60 and women under 50 were barred entry since dawn, while several worshippers were assaulted at the gates. Police forced worshippers, Waqf employees, and students of the Sharia school to remain inside covered prayer halls, preventing their presence in the mosque’s open areas.

The governorate estimated around 150 Muslims remained inside Al-Aqsa, including Waqf staff and students taking final exams, while more than 200 settlers stormed the mosque in the first hour alone. In the Old City, occupation forces compelled shopkeepers to close their stores throughout the day to secure the incursions and the planned “Flag March” in the evening.

On Wednesday, Israeli Minister of the Negev and Galilee, Yitzhak Wasserlauf, stormed Al-Aqsa ahead of the anniversary of Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem. Wasserlauf belongs to the far-right “Jewish Power” party led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Thursday marks the Hebrew calendar anniversary of Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem during the June 1967 war. Far-right Israeli organizations have called for mass incursions into Al-Aqsa and participation in the provocative Flag March in East Jerusalem. Israeli media reported that around 50,000 settlers are expected to join the march, chanting racist slogans including “Death to Arabs.”

While police once prohibited Jewish visitors from bringing prayer items or performing rituals in the compound, they now allow such practices. Since 2003, Israeli police have unilaterally permitted settler incursions into Al-Aqsa, despite repeated calls from the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem to halt them.