Al-Quds, MINA – The number of Israeli settlers who stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday has reached 3,023, according to the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem. The mass incursion was led by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and several extremist members of the Israeli Knesset, Wafa reported.
The provocative escalation has triggered widespread condemnation from Palestinian officials, who labeled it a continuation of the genocide and starvation campaign Israel is carrying out in the Gaza Strip.
The Waqf reported that settlers engaged in Talmudic rituals, chanted nationalistic slogans, waved Israeli flags, and carried Torah scrolls inside the compound, all under heavy police protection. These actions come amid growing concerns over the Israeli government’s efforts to assert sovereignty over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
Palestinian Presidency officials called the event a “dangerous escalation,” pointing to recent policy shifts that embolden settler movements. The Presidency emphasized that the continuous violations represent an official Israeli attempt to impose “new facts on the ground”.
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Israeli forces reportedly set up multiple military checkpoints around the city and blocked Palestinian access to the Old City, further intensifying tensions.
Observers noted that this escalation follows Ben-Gvir’s controversial May declaration that “prayers and prostration are now possible on the Temple Mount,” a direct violation of the longstanding status quo arrangement at the site.
The Islamic Waqf warned that these systematic settler violations, backed by state institutions, are part of a long-term plan to seize religious landmarks and erode Palestinian sovereignty in occupied jerusalem/">East Jerusalem. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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