Under the watchful eye of Israeli occupation police, scores of radical Jewish settlers brazenly stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday morning, trampling centuries of Palestinian worship in a calculated act of provocation.

The Islamic Awqaf Authority reports that the settlers forced their way through the Maghariba Gate, turning the sacred courtyards into a stage for extremist theatrics.

Throughout their trespass, the settlers were escorted by heavily armed officers and tutored by rabbis on the myth of a “Temple Mount,” desecrating the holy site with ritual dances and boisterous Talmudic prayers—actions Palestinians view as a deliberate attempt to assert dominance over their most revered place of worship.

Meanwhile, Israeli police tightened restrictions on Muslim worshippers, subjecting them to humiliating identity checks and barring many—particularly youth, the elderly, and women—from entering through Al-Aqsa’s gates. Worshippers waiting in long, stifling lines were denied access to the mosque for Friday prayers, as occupation forces prioritized the settlers’ agenda over Palestinians’ fundamental right to worship.

“This is not a spontaneous visit—it is a state-backed assault on Palestinian heritage and religious freedom,” charged an Awqaf official. “By facilitating these settlers, the occupation is escalating its campaign to erase Palestinian presence from Jerusalem’s holy precincts.”

Rights groups and community leaders have condemned the “blatant aggression,” calling on the international community to intervene and uphold Palestinians’ inviolable right to access and pray at Al-Aqsa without fear of violence or humiliation. (ILKHA)