Israeli occupiers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque amid tensions

Dozens of Israeli occupiers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, as graduation ceremony was held for soldiers at the Western Wall (Al-Buraq Wall), a Palestinian agency said.

The Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement that former Knesset member Yehuda Glick led the occupiers’ entry into the flashpoint site under Israeli police protection.

According to the statement, Israeli authorities also held a graduation ceremony for 100 soldiers at the Western Wall (Al-Buraq Wall) inside the mosque.

The Al-Buraq Wall, called by Jews as the Western Wall or Wailing Wall, is a significant religious site for both Muslims and Jews and forms part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The governorate posted videos on Facebook showing Glick and extremist occupiers inside the mosque compound under police protection. It also published other footage showing the soldiers’ graduation ceremony, where Israeli flags were raised.

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

Israeli police have allowed occupiers to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound daily, except Fridays and Saturdays, since 2003.

Israeli occupiers stormed the mosque 30 times in April, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs.

Palestinians say Israel has intensified efforts for decades to Judaize East Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erase the city’s Arab and Islamic identity.

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

Palestinian girls assaulted

Separately, Israeli occupiers assaulted two Palestinian girls in occupied East Jerusalem under police watch.

Video footage showed occupiers beating the girls with sticks and their hands as Israeli police looked on and did not intervene.

The occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem have seen a surge in Israeli attacks, including raids, arrests, shootings and the excessive use of force, alongside rising occupier assaults against Palestinians and their property.

About 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in 141 illegal settlements and 224 settlement outposts in the West Bank, including about 250,000 in East Jerusalem, which the United Nations considers part of the occupied Palestinian territory.

Attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers have killed at least 1,155 Palestinians, wounded about 11,750 and led to the arrest of nearly 22,000 since October 2023, according to official Palestinian figures.

*Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul