Following strict restrictions imposed on worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, settlers stormed the mosque's courtyards from the Moroccan Gate early this Thursday morning, under heavy protection from Israeli forces. The Israeli police entered Al-Aqsa at 7 AM, reinforced by special units, and spread throughout the courtyards to secure the settlers' incursions, while expelling worshippers from the vicinity of the Qibli Mosque, according to the "Wafa" agency.
Eyewitnesses reported that "the settlers entered Al-Aqsa in groups, each consisting of around 50 settlers." The witnesses also mentioned that "the invading groups conducted provocative tours in the courtyards of the sanctuary. Several settlers performed Talmudic rituals in the eastern area of the compound, at the (Bab al-Rahma) prayer area, and in front of the Dome of the Rock before leaving the courtyards through the Chain Gate."
These incursions came just hours after the Israeli police stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa during the Tarawih prayers, where they assaulted worshippers and prevented the I'tikaf practitioners from remaining in the courtyards, forcibly expelling them from the Qibli Mosque. Organizations advocating the "alleged Temple" had called on their supporters to organize large-scale incursions into Al-Aqsa during "Passover," which continues until next Wednesday.
Since dawn, Israeli forces imposed restrictions on Palestinians' access to the courtyard, barring those under 40 years old from entering and praying at Al-Aqsa. Over 400 worshippers were arrested inside the mosque, and some contents of the Qibli Mosque were damaged.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that its medics transported a 15-year-old boy, Khader Gharab, to the hospital after a settler shot him with live ammunition in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, injuring his hand.
Today, the UN Security Council is holding an emergency closed session at the joint request of Palestine and Jordan, with support from the UAE and China, to discuss Israeli violations at Al-Aqsa. The UN committee on the exercise of the Palestinian people's rights condemned the "Israeli forces' storming of Al-Aqsa" today.
A statement from the committee's office noted that "this violence is horrific during a period of heightened religious sensitivity, especially with the celebrations of Ramadan and Passover. Israeli policies and illegal practices continue to consolidate its unlawful occupation of Palestinian land since 1967, including East Jerusalem, in addition to the severe isolation imposed on the Gaza Strip, which has been under siege for nearly 16 years. Since the beginning of 2023, Israel has increased its military operations in the occupied Palestinian territories, resulting in the deaths of at least 95 Palestinians, including 17 children," calling for "accountability for all these violations."
It is worth mentioning that Israeli forces stormed Al-Aqsa yesterday after the Tarawih and Fajr prayers. Additionally, Israeli fighters carried out airstrikes early Thursday morning on a site west of the central governorate in the Gaza Strip, causing large explosions and destruction in the area, with no reports of casualties. The Israeli army stated that "Palestinian gunmen launched rockets at southern Israel." According to eyewitnesses, explosions were heard in the skies over the western Negev after the sound of sirens.
Several citizens suffered from tear gas inhalation as soldiers positioned in tanks and behind sand dunes, along the border strip east of Gaza, fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters at thousands of citizens who participated in angry protest marches condemning the Israeli army's crimes against worshippers and I'tikaf practitioners in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
