Nearly 600 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday under the protection of Israeli police, according to a local official.
The official, from the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem, said that at least 584 settlers entered the compound during the morning hours through the Moroccan Gate, located along the western wall of the site. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, reported by Anadolu Agency.
More groups were expected to enter the compound after the noon prayers, the official added.
Eyewitnesses said that some of the visitors carried out Talmudic rituals, prayers and dancing inside the compound. Such activities are viewed by Palestinians as a violation of the long-standing arrangements governing the holy site.
The latest incursions took place on the first day of a new month in the Hebrew calendar. Israeli settler visits to the compound often increase on such occasions, raising fears of further tension in and around the mosque.
Israel began unilaterally allowing settlers to enter the compound in 2003. Since then, such incursions have taken place almost daily, except on Fridays and Saturdays. The number of participants has steadily increased over the years.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is Islam’s third-holiest site, after the mosques in Makkah and Madinah. Jews refer to the same area as the Temple Mount and claim that it was the location of two ancient Jewish temples.
The mosque compound lies in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Israel later annexed the entire city in 1980. The move has never been recognised by the international community.
The continued visits, carried out under police protection, remain a major source of anger and concern among Palestinians and Muslims worldwide.
