On Monday, Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem under the protection of Israeli police.
According to eyewitnesses cited by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, settlers entered the compound in groups through the Moroccan Gate and performed Talmudic rituals.
Eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli police transformed the Old City of Jerusalem into a military zone, deploying hundreds of officers in close proximity, particularly at the gates of Al-Aqsa.
They also imposed restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshippers.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is a highly sensitive and revered site for Muslims worldwide.
Located in East Jerusalem, a territory that Israel occupied in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed, the mosque is part of a larger compound known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as the Temple Mount.
The site has been a flashpoint for violence and is a symbol of Palestinian national identity.
Tensions often rise when Israeli settlers, accompanied by police, enter the compound. Many Palestinians view such visits as provocative and a violation of the status quo arrangement, which allows Muslims to pray at the site while non-Muslims can visit but not pray. The Israeli government, however, maintains that it upholds freedom of worship for all faiths.
In recent years, there has been an increase in the frequency of such incursions, leading to clashes between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli forces. These events contribute to
