Dozens of Israeli Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque

(MENAFN) Dozens of Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, as a military graduation ceremony unfolded at the adjacent Western Wall, a Palestinian agency reported.

The Jerusalem Governorate identified former Knesset member Yehuda Glick as leading the incursion into the contested holy site, with Israeli police providing escort throughout. According to the governorate's statement, Israeli authorities simultaneously conducted a graduation ceremony for 100 soldiers at the Western Wall (Al-Buraq Wall) within the mosque complex, where Israeli flags were visibly raised.

The Jerusalem Governorate shared videos on Facebook capturing Glick alongside settlers inside the compound under police guard, as well as footage from the military ceremony.

Al-Aqsa Mosque ranks as Islam's third-holiest site. The adjacent Al-Buraq Wall — known to Jews as the Western Wall or Wailing Wall — holds deep religious significance for both Muslims and Jews and forms an integral part of the broader mosque compound. Jews refer to the broader area as the Temple Mount, tracing it to the location of two ancient Jewish temples.

Israeli police have permitted settler entry into the compound every day except Fridays and Saturdays since 2003. The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs recorded 30 separate settler incursions into the mosque throughout April alone.

Palestinians contend that Israel has pursued a sustained, decades-long campaign to alter the demographic and religious character of East Jerusalem, targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque and systematically erasing the city's Arab and Islamic heritage. Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, backed by international resolutions that reject both Israel's 1967 occupation and its 1980 annexation of the city.

Palestinian Girls Assaulted
In a separate incident, two Palestinian girls were physically assaulted by Israeli settlers in occupied East Jerusalem while Israeli police stood by without intervening. Video footage captured settlers striking the girls with sticks and their hands as officers looked on.

Violence across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem has escalated sharply, encompassing raids, arrests, shootings, excessive force, and mounting settler attacks on Palestinians and their property.

Approximately 750,000 Israeli settlers currently reside across 141 illegal settlements and 224 settlement outposts throughout the West Bank, including roughly 250,000 in East Jerusalem — territory the United Nations classifies as occupied Palestinian land.

Since October 2023, Israeli army and settler attacks have killed at least 1,155 Palestinians, wounded approximately 11,750, and resulted in the arrest of nearly 22,000, according to official Palestinian figures.

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