Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy police protection

Dozens of Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday morning, entering from the Moroccan Gate under heavy protection from Israeli police.

According to sources cited by the Palestinian News Agency, 1,500 settlers and rabbis entered Al-Aqsa Mosque yesterday, performing special Talmudic rituals and prayers near the Cotton Merchants’ Gate. This coincided with the introduction of so-called “vegetable offerings” into the mosque’s courtyards, the chanting of hymns, dancing circles, and the performance of prostration and mass bowing rituals.

These scenes reflect an ongoing escalation in the imposition of Talmudic rituals within Al-Aqsa Mosque and attempts to alter its historical and legal status quo.

The incursions were accompanied by tightened Israeli military measures around Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City, with restrictions imposed on worshippers’ entry and movement.

September has seen repeated incursions, including the entry of 480 settlers on September 13 during the so-called “Jewish New Year,” and around 100 settlers on September 20 for “Yom Kippur.”

According to figures from the Jerusalem Governorate, 40,661 settlers have entered Al-Aqsa Mosque from the start of the year until the end of August, while around 800 orders have been issued banning Jerusalemites from the mosque since the beginning of the year up to early this month.