Israeli forces raided Al-Aqsa Mosque 26 times in June, Palestinian ministry says

Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem 26 times in June, while authorities prevented the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on 84 occasions, the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said on Sunday, Anadolu reports.

The figures were included in the ministry’s monthly report documenting Israeli violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque last month.

According to the report, as many as 4,212 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa compound through the Mughrabi Gate during morning and afternoon visits under Israeli police protection.

The ministry said “Temple Mount” groups continued to call for intensified incursions into the compound and the imposition of “a new reality” inside the mosque.

It documented settlers performing Talmudic rituals inside the compound, including what “epic prostration,” collective prostration, and public group prayers, as well as prayers for Israeli soldiers in front of the Dome of the Rock.

The report said Rabbi Elisha Wolfson, head of the Yeshivat Har HaBayit religious school, entered the compound more than once with settlers and performed Talmudic rituals there.

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According to the ministry, Israeli forces also intensified restrictions on Palestinian worshippers, particularly on Fridays, by entering areas around the Qibli Prayer Hall and the Dome of the Rock during sermons and prayers and tightening measures at the mosque’s gates.

At the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, the ministry said 950 Israeli soldiers entered the site in June, while the call to prayer was prevented 84 times.

It added that Israeli authorities continue to keep the mosque’s eastern gate closed, cover its windows with tarpaulins since the beginning of 2025, close Gate No. 7 to Awqaf employees, and impose restrictions on worshippers and staff.

The report also accused Israeli authorities of installing a roof over the mosque’s central courtyard without consulting the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf or the Hebron municipality, and said the mosque’s director and the head of its custodians were arrested and barred from the site for 12 days.

The ministry said occupier attacks extended to other mosques in the occupied West Bank, adding that two mosques in the towns of Jaljulia and Mazari al-Nubani, north of Ramallah, were set on fire.

It added that groups of occupiers entered the Ras Mosque in Hebron’s Jabari neighborhood, raised Israeli flags on its walls and rooftops, played Hebrew songs through loudspeakers in its courtyard, and prevented worshippers from reaching the site.

The ministry called on the international community and human rights organizations to act to stop Israeli violations, protect Islamic holy sites, and preserve their historic and legal status.

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