Jerusalem (UNA/WAFA) – Hundreds of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday under heavy protection from the Israeli occupation police.
More than 1220 settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound from the Mughrabi Gate, in successive groups, on the third day of Passover.
The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department stated in a statement that the raids included provocative tours and rituals within the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, including public dancing and chanting.
Video clips showed a group of settlers dancing and singing near Bab al-Asbat, where hundreds of people thronged the compound awaiting permission to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque. Meanwhile, thousands of settlers invaded the Western Wall area under the pretext of performing prayers.
The occupation police imposed strict security measures, turning Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings into a military barracks, preventing many citizens from entering the mosque and confiscating their ID cards at the external gates.
Local sources reported that the occupation authorities expelled worshippers Abu Bakr al-Shami and Nizam Abu Ramouz from the Al-Aqsa Mosque and prohibited them from being present in its vicinity.
The occupation authorities have also transformed the city of Jerusalem and its Old City into a military barracks, deploying thousands of its personnel and special units on the streets and roads to protect against settler incursions and provocations.
Al-Aqsa Mosque witnessed a large-scale raid yesterday, Monday, in which 1149 settlers participated, a number of whom performed Talmudic rituals.
The extremist colonial group "Temple Mount in Our Hands" launched promotional campaigns to encourage settlers to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque, including providing reduced-price transportation and organizing free tours, as part of what it called "central storming days" during the Passover holiday.
(is over)
