Around 150 settlers enter Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under Israeli police protection

Around 150 settlers enter Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under Israeli police protection
———————————————–
Approximately 150 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday under heavy Israeli police protection, according to Anadolu Agency.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA News Agency, citing the Jerusalem Governorate, said the group entered the site through the Mughrabi Gate and carried out escorted tours in the mosque’s courtyards.

The Al-Qastal news outlet reported that some of the visitors performed religious rituals during the incursion. Israeli police reportedly imposed restrictions on Palestinian worshippers’ access to the site during the same period.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is considered the third holiest site in Islam, while Jews refer to the same location as the Temple Mount, believing it to be the site of ancient Jewish temples.

According to Palestinian and Islamic authorities, Israeli police have since 2003 permitted regular visits by non-Muslim groups during set hours, except on Fridays and Saturdays, under a unilateral arrangement. The Islamic Waqf, which administers the site, has repeatedly objected to such visits, calling for their cessation.

Tensions at the compound have risen in recent years, particularly since Itamar Ben-Gvir took office in late 2022, with Palestinian officials alleging an increase in incursions and restrictions on Muslim worshippers.

Palestinians view these developments as part of broader efforts to alter the status of East Jerusalem, which they claim as the capital of a future independent state, based on international resolutions that do not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the area following its 1967 occupation and 1980 annexation.