Israeli Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque in Unprecedented 1967 First

(MENAFN) Nine Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Friday after attacking two of its guards, the Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate announced — describing the incursion as the most serious of its kind since Israel's occupation of the city nearly six decades ago.

"Nine occupiers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound after assaulting two of its guards, and they were carrying a bread offering," the Governorate said in a statement, in an apparent reference to ritual offerings associated with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.

The statement further noted that the settlers "forcibly entered the mosque and managed to reach the Dome of the Rock courtyard," calling the episode "a dangerous precedent and the first of its kind since the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967."

The Governorate linked the breach to "widespread incitement by extremist Temple Mount groups" capitalizing on the Shavuot holiday, framing it as part of a sustained effort to alter the legal and religious status quo within the compound.

In a separate statement, the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem confirmed that the settlers entered through the Al-Ghawanimah Gate following the assault on two mosque guards, eventually reaching the Dome of the Rock courtyard while carrying a "plant offering." The Waqf condemned the episode as "a dangerous escalation and an attempt to impose religious rituals within the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound."

Despite Israeli access restrictions, more than 70,000 Palestinians gathered at Al-Aqsa for Friday prayers, according to the Waqf Department.

Under a unilateral arrangement in place since 2003, Israeli police have permitted settlers to enter the mosque compound twice daily — during morning and afternoon periods — with the exception of Fridays and Saturdays.

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