1149 settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque on the second day of Passover
Dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday, the second day of the Jewish Passover holiday, under heavy Israeli police protection.
The Islamic Endowment Department in Jerusalem reported that 1,149 settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards during the two incursion periods, with 765 in the morning and 384 in the afternoon.
The raids included the participation of Knesset Member Amit Halevy, along with Rabbi Shimshon Elyam, a number of rabbis, and officials from extremist "Temple" organizations.
The raids included public religious rituals, including "prayers, singing, dancing, clapping, and prostration within the mosque's courtyards," in a clear violation of the religious and historical status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The occupation police organized the entry of groups in successive groups, each group entering through the Dung Gate, which is the gate through which settlers carry out their incursions.
The raids take place in two periods daily: in the morning, from 7:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and in the afternoon, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. The occupation authorities recently extended the afternoon raids, after several years of extending the morning period.
Extremist "Temple" organizations stated that the number of raiders on the first and second days of Passover holiday exceeded previous years, renewing their calls for intensified raids over the coming days, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
At the outer gates of Al-Aqsa, settlers performed their collective and individual prayers.
