Nearly 600 Israeli occupiers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque under police protection

Around 600 Israeli occupiers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday under Israeli police protection, a local official told Anadolu Agency.

“At least 584 occupiers stormed the mosque compound during the morning period through the Moroccan Gate in its western wall under police protection,” an official from the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said, requesting anonymity.

Additional groups are expected to enter the mosque compound after noon prayers, the official added.

Eyewitnesses said the incursions included Talmudic rituals, prayers and dancing, in violation of the longstanding status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

READ: Turkiye strongly condemns Israeli raid led by minister on Al Aqsa Mosque

Thursday marks the first day of a new month in the Hebrew calendar, when Israeli incursions into the mosque compound typically increase.

Israel unilaterally began allowing occupiers to storm the mosque compound in 2003.

Since then, incursions have taken place daily except Fridays and Saturdays, with the number of participants increasing over the years.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

READ: UN warns Israeli raid led by minister on Al Aqsa Mosque ‘very dangerous’ for status quo