OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
Dozens of Jewish settlers stormed the courtyards of the Aqsa Mosque on Thursday morning, under heavy Israeli police protection, amid ongoing Palestinian calls for mass mobilization.
According to Jerusalemite sources, the settlers carried out provocative tours within the Aqsa’s courtyards, during which they performed Talmudic rituals and provocative dances.
The sources noted that the Israeli forces had turned the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem into a military zone, deploying hundreds of troops at close intervals, especially around the gates of the Aqsa Mosque.
The Israeli police forces tightened their security restrictions at the gates of the Old City and the Mosque itself, imposing severe limitations on Palestinian worshippers entering the area.
Earlier this week, on Monday, over 1,427 extremist settlers stormed the Aqsa Mosque courtyards as part of the ongoing incursions marking the anniversary of the occupation of East Jerusalem. These incursions included dances and Talmudic prayers amid heavy deployment of Israeli forces.
The raids were led by Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, his wife, members of the Knesset, and heads of religious schools. The settlers performed Talmudic rituals while singing and dancing in the courtyards and near the Mosque’s walls.
The settlers also raised the Israeli flag within the Aqsa Mosque compound on three occasions: near the Chain Gate (Bab al-Silsila), in front of the Qibli Prayer Hall, and near the Gate of Mercy (Bab al-Rahma).
The Hamas Movement condemned the repeated storming of the Aqsa Mosque as a flagrant violation of the sanctity and religious significance of holy site to the entire Muslim nation.
