By Al Ahed Staff, Agencies
Dozens of "Israeli" settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound early Thursday under heavy military protection, carrying out provocative rituals as around 50,000 participants are expected to take part in the Flag March through occupied al-Quds later in the day.
More than 200 settlers entered the compound within the first hour alone, as "Israeli" occupation forces [IOF] imposed sweeping restrictions on Palestinian worshippers, barring men under 60 and women under 50 from entering the mosque and physically assaulting those who attempted to reach its gates.
The IOF restricted Al-Aqsa worshippers, staff, and students to indoor areas ahead of settler incursions, leaving fewer than 150 Muslims inside the compound.
IOF assaulted several men and women at the mosque gates, pushing and beating those who attempted to attend dawn prayers.
Settlers performed Talmudic rituals in Al-Aqsa, including full-face prostrations, singing, and dancing, in what they called a “compensatory incursion,” joined by extremist MK Ariel Kallner.
Palestinian officials warned of a potential escalation as 22 "Israeli" ministers and Knesset members urged police to allow settlers into Al-Aqsa on Friday, breaking long-standing restrictions.
The move, backed mostly by Likud, was condemned by the al-Quds Governorate as a dangerous attempt to impose a new reality and undermine the mosque’s sanctity.
Occupation authorities closed shops in al-Quds’s Old City for the Flag March while raiding al-Jib and tightening checkpoints in “Hizma”, restricting the movement of residents, workers, and students.
The "Israeli" cabinet is set to approve building a military complex, including a museum and recruitment office, on the ruins of the UNRWA compound in Sheikh Jarrah, allocating nine acres to the War Ministry without a tender.
The Grand Mufti of al-Quds warned that "Israeli"-backed settler incursions threaten Al-Aqsa’s religious status, while Palestinians have mobilized to confront them.
Human rights group “B’Tselem” has documented marchers provoking and attacking Palestinian residents and journalists during past Flag March events.
Al-Quds Day marks "Israel’s" 1967 occupation of East al-Quds, highlighted by the Flag March through the Muslim Quarter amid attacks on Palestinians, coinciding this year with Nakba Day and plans to expand al-Quds and fund marches across Palestinian towns.
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