JERUSALEM - Hundreds of Israeli colonists stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday morning during the fourth day of the Jewish Sukkot festival, supported by a significant presence of Israeli forces.
Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) citing local sources reported that over 434 colonists broke into the mosque, performing religious rituals, while one colonist blew a shofar in the compound.
The sources further noted that a group of colonists gathered at the al-Tattanin Gate, one of the main entrances on the northern side of the mosque, where they conducted their rituals.
In anticipation of the incursions, Israeli forces had earlier intensified their military measures in the Old City of Jerusalem, closing the access route from the Lions' Gate to the Mughrabi Gate and obstructing Muslim access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque to facilitate the colonists' entry, according to WAFA.
Israeli occupation authorities often exploit Jewish holidays to impose restrictions on Palestinians, implementing collective punitive measures such as closing checkpoints and increasing military presence, which hinders the movement of residents and prevents them from reaching their holy sites.
Since 2003, the Israeli occupation authorities have been allowing Israeli Jewish colonists into the compound almost on a daily basis, with the exclusion of Friday.
Israel captured East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the Six-Day War in 1967. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognised by the international community. - BERNAMA-WAFA