Thousands of Israelis storm Al-Aqsa mosque compound and perform religious rites

Over a thousand Israelis stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday to perform religious rites in violation of the current status quo agreements which only permit Muslim worship at the holy site.

Twelve groups of Jewish extremists illegally entered the occupied Al-Aqsa compound on the fifth day of the Jewish Passover holiday, and performed prayers and rituals in front of the Lion’s Gate, one of the gates to the holy Islamic site. 

Local sources told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site Al Araby Al Jadeed that among those performing unsolicited prayers was a former member of the Knesset for the Likud Party, Moshe Feiglin.

تغطية صحفية : "أكثر من ألف مستوطن يقتحمون المسجد الأقصى المبارك منذ ساعات الصباح حتى اللحظة في ما يسمى "عيد الفصح" العبري" pic.twitter.com/ko6P2Sdf1b

— AlQastal القسطل (@AlQastalps) April 10, 2023

"The intruders left through Bab Al-Silsilah under protection of Israeli forces. The guards had secured the area for those performing unsolicited rituals and expelled worshippers from Al-Aqsa mosque," the Islamic Waqf, which runs the Al-Aqsa Mosque said. 

Prior to the storming, Israeli security forces imposed restrictions on Palestinian youths and confiscated identity cards of those entering the mosque. They also prevented Al-Aqsa guards from giving covering dress to visiting tourists at the Maghrebi gate, threatening them with arrest.

The entry of the Israeli extremists comes amid escalating violence over the past week. Last Wednesday, Israeli troops forcibly entered the complex and beat and arrested hundreds of worshippers inside the mosque.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. Prayers and rituals by non-Muslims are forbidden at Al-Aqsa mosque under a status quo agreement dating back to Ottoman times.

Israeli law officially claims to respect and abide by the agreement but Jewish extremists have repeatedly violated it under the protection of Israeli security forces.

Some of the extremists want to demolish the mosque and construct the Jewish Temple of Solomon which they say stood in its place in ancient times.

"The well-known desire of Israeli settlers to either destroy the mosque or forcibly convert all or part of the compound into a synagogue, as happened to the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, is a source of deep anxiety among Palestinians," UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese said last week.

Last year, three Israeli-far right activists were arrested for praying at Al-Aqsa mosque. The Jerusalem Magistrate Court ruled in their favour after an appeal, a controversial ruling that effectively brought into question the security of the status quo agreement.