Illegal Israeli settlers storm into Al-Aqsa Mosque, perform Talmudic rituals

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) - Dozens of illegal Israeli settlers on Wednesday stormed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem amid restrictions on Palestinians' entry into the mosque.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted eyewitnesses who said the settlers stormed the holy mosque from its western Al-Mugharbah Gate area, the gate which is used by the settlers to storm into the mosque.

The settlers, under the Israeli forces' protection, did provocative tours inside the mosque and performed Talmudic rituals inside.

It added that the Israeli forces intensified their restrictions in Jerusalem's Old City area and gates leading to the mosque.

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.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a military offensive on the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

Israel stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Istanbul