Groups of illegal Israeli settlers storm courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque

(MENAFN) According to reports, groups of illegal Israeli settlers entered the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday under the escort of Israeli police forces.

Local accounts cited by reports indicated that the settlers entered the compound in successive groups, conducting what were described as provocative tours and performing Talmudic rituals while surrounded by armed security personnel.

Earlier in the week, the Jerusalem Governorate reported that 182 illegal settlers had pushed their way into the site during both morning and evening incursions on Tuesday, carrying out religious rituals near the Dome of the Rock under police protection. The governorate added that a separate group of 778 foreign tourists accessed the compound through an entrance controlled by Israeli authorities.

Official figures referenced in the reports noted that a total of 4,266 illegal settlers and roughly 15,000 foreign tourists entered the mosque complex during the month of November.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is revered as Islam’s third-holiest site. The area is also referred to by Jews as the Temple Mount, which they believe was the location of two ancient Jewish temples.

Israel captured East Jerusalem—including the Al-Aqsa compound—during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and later annexed the entire city in 1980, a move that has not been recognized by the international community.

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