LONDON: Around 112 Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center, a Palestinian rights group in Jerusalem, reported that settlers entered the site through the Israel-controlled Moroccan Gate. Israeli forces accompanied them while they performed Jewish rituals and exited the site through the Chain Gate, according to the Wafa news agency.
The Al-Aqsa compound, Islam’s third-holiest site, also known as Al-Haram Al-Sharif, has been the site of frequent conflicts — including raids by Israeli settlers and restrictions on Muslim worshippers — since East Jerusalem was occupied in June 1967.
The area is administered by Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf, which holds the legal authority to manage the compound and control access.
Settlers, who refer to the area as the Temple Mount, seek to establish a presence in the compound to perform Jewish prayers at certain times. Several far-right ministers and Knesset members in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government have publicly endorsed these plans.
