Hundreds of Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque

Hundreds of settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque this morning, Tuesday, under the protection of the Israeli police, according to the Palestinian News Agency (Wafa). The Islamic Waqf at Al-Aqsa Mosque reported that "about 1,200 settlers invaded the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the early hours of the incursion." It noted that "the settlers defiled the courtyards and performed Talmudic rituals in an unprecedented scene of invasions, as thousands of settlers are expected to storm Al-Aqsa throughout the day during the morning and evening invasion periods." The Waqf added that "the occupation forces obstructed the entry of worshippers to the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque and deployed large forces at its gates to facilitate the settlers' incursions." The Israeli police transformed the Old City of occupied Jerusalem into a military barracks, deploying hundreds of personnel at close distances, especially at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and tightening military measures at its gates and the gates of the Old City, imposing restrictions on the entry of worshippers, according to Wafa. These incursions follow calls from extremist settlers for a wide-scale invasion of Al-Aqsa in commemoration of what is known as the "destruction of the temple." Yesterday, 411 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque under police protection, while 370 settlers had done so on Sunday.