TEHRAN – Thousands of Israeli settlers led by regime Minister Itamar Ben Gwil attacked the compounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied al-Kud.
The invasion coincided with the so-called “anniversary of the destruction of the temple,” and featured Talmudic rituals, chantings and provocative dances. These have been widely condemned by Palestinians as dangerous escalations aimed at changing the status quo of the sacred sites.
Ben Gwil joined the Al Axa compound, which is at the head of a large group of settlements. More than 3,000 settlers reportedly took part in and entered a continuous wave under strict protections from security forces in Israeli occupation.
In a video message filmed during his illegal visit and published on social media, Ben Gwil said: “We need to send the message accurately from here: to declare sovereignty across the Gaza Strip, defeat all Hamas members, and encourage voluntary migration.”
Many were chanted in various parts of the courtyard around the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third most hall in Islam, and danced loudly, loudly and loudly.
Among those who participated was Amit Halevi, a member of the Knesset, known for advocating for the division of the sacred sites. This is a move that the Palestinians viewed as a direct threat to their religious and political rights.
At the same time, the Israeli regime was banned from Palestinian worshippers from entering the mosque or even accessing the surrounding old town through a gate near Al Aqsa.
Hours before the massive invasion, Ben Goville led a provocative march of settlers through the Old Town. During the march he made openly and rebellious remarks, saying, “We are not satisfied with mourning. We are thinking of building temples, extending sovereignty, and imposing rules. We have done this in many places.
These coordinated intrusions were part of a broader campaign hosted by the so-called “Temple Mount” group.
Recently, these groups have called for August 3 to be converted to “the biggest day of the Al-Aqsa storm,” and are fully supported by the current Israeli government’s religious and political agenda.
The governor of Al-QUDS (Jerusalem) issued a warning, calling this year’s event “the most dangerous threat to Al-Aqsa for many years.”
Authorities stressed that the scale and tone of this year’s invasion was a deliberate attempt to break long-standing religious and legal boundaries governing actions within the compound, all representing official Israeli support.
Over the past few weeks, Ben Gwil has issued direct orders to Israeli police to allow settlers to sing and dance inside the mosque, a dramatic departure from previous restrictions.
The Israeli regime’s proposal to change the rules of Al-Aqsa compounds has sparked rage in the Islamic world and sparked deadly violence in the past.
Hamas’ statement said “a continuation of an ongoing attack on the Palestinians, their lands, and sacred sites, and a blatant provocation to Muslim sentiment through the expletives of the first Qibla and the third sacred sanctuary.”
“The conduct of the extreme Zionist government and its war criminal members — from the continuation of massacres, the war of extermination, and starvation against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, to killings and terrorism in the West Bank by the occurrence army and settler mobs, and systematic violations in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa through incursions, Judaization attempts, and altering the facts on the ground — is nothing but fuel poured.”