Illegal Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa mosque courtyard again

At least 70 settlers stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday, Al Jazeera Arabic reported, quoting local Palestinian sources. The report said that the settlers moved under the protection of the Israeli forces.

The Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs said it has recorded 27 Israeli settler intrusions into Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard in the last month.

The ministry said in its monthly report that Israeli settlers accompanied by Israeli forces stormed the site, performed Talmudic rituals and dances, and offered plant sacrifices within the mosque courtyards in October.

It noted the involvement of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, along with a number of Knesset members, in at least one raid in the last month.

The ministry said that Ben Gvir has staged 13 invasions of the complex since he assumed office in 2022, including 10 times since Israel launched its genocide in Gaza in October 2023.

Incursions into the mosque complex by Israeli settlers and forces have occurred almost on a daily basis, with a marked surge during Jewish and national holidays.

In October, a report by the Israeli monitor Ir Amim Association accused the Israeli government of directly violating the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque, warning that its continued control constitutes a dangerous escalation.

The status quo is defined by a set of rules and regulations considered a binding international norm and long recognised by world powers. It designates Al-Aqsa Mosque as an exclusively Islamic site, where only Muslims are permitted to worship.