Nearly 600 Israeli settlers enter Al-Aqsa mosque compound under police protection

Nearly 600 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday under Israeli police protection, according to a local official cited by Anadolu Agency.

Nearly 600 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday under Israeli police protection, according to a local official cited by Anadolu Agency.

An official from Jerusalem’s Islamic Endowments Department said at least 584 settlers entered the compound during the morning period through the Moroccan Gate. The official added that additional groups were expected to enter after noon prayers.

Eyewitnesses reported that some of the incursions involved prayers, religious rituals and dancing. Such activities have become a source of heightened tension because of disputes surrounding the longstanding arrangements governing access and worship at the holy site.

The latest incident occurred on the first day of a new month in the Hebrew calendar, a period when Israeli settler visits to the compound have traditionally increased.

According to the report, Israel began allowing such entries into the compound in 2003. Since then, visits have taken place regularly, except on Fridays and Saturdays, with the number of participants increasing over the years.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is one of the most sensitive religious and political sites in Jerusalem. It is Islam’s third-holiest site and holds profound religious significance for Muslims around the world.

The site is also known to Jews as the Temple Mount, who associate the area with the historical location of two ancient Jewish temples. Competing religious and political claims over the site have contributed to repeated tensions in Jerusalem.

East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, was occupied by Israel during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Israel later annexed the entire city in 1980, a move that has not been recognised by the international community.

The latest entry of hundreds of Israeli settlers under police protection is likely to draw further attention amid the longstanding tensions surrounding access to and activities at the holy compound.

The incident underscores the continuing sensitivity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and its central role in the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.