Israeli occupiers raise Israel’s flag as they storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israeli occupiers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday, raising the Israeli flag during the incursion amid escalation across the West Bank.

Occupiers forced their way into the site through the Mughrabi Gate, one of the mosque’s gates, under heavy police protection, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Videos circulating on social media showed occupiers performing Talmudic rituals and prayers aloud, including what is referred to as “epic prostration,” particularly in the eastern area of the compound.

Photos shared online also showed two occupiers raising the Israeli flag inside the compound, with the Dome of the Rock mosque visible behind them.

Occupiers have previously raised Israeli flags at the flashpoint site, a move widely denounced by Palestinians as “provocative”.

The Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem considers such practices a violation of the longstanding status quo at the site, while Israeli police have not prevented occupiers from carrying them out.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Since 2003, Israeli police have unilaterally allowed the occupiers to enter the mosque daily during two periods—morning and afternoon prayers—except on Fridays and Saturdays.

Palestinians say Israel is intensifying efforts to Judaize East Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa is located, and erase its Arab and Islamic identity.

The Palestinians regard East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, based on international resolutions that do not recognize Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967 or its annexation in 1980.

*Writing by Lina Altawell