1,743 settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque on the third day of Passover
Tens of thousands of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, Al-Buraq courtyard, and the Old City of Jerusalem on Tuesday, the third day of the Jewish Passover holiday.
Al-Aqsa Mosque witnessed the storming of 1,743 settlers in two periods: 1,231 in the morning and 512 in the afternoon. They stormed it in successive groups through the Dung Gate, which has been under Israeli control since the occupation of Jerusalem.
The courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque were filled from all sides (south, east, north, and west) with settlers, led by dozens of rabbis, activists, and officials from the so-called "Temple" organizations. The police allowed successive raids by large groups.
During the raid, the settlers performed all the prayers and rituals of Passover inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards, and the sounds of clapping and singing rose as they marched inside.
Occupation forces were deployed in the Al-Aqsa courtyards along the route of the incursions. Special units accompanied them along the route they took inside the mosque (the incursion route, which begins at the Dung Gate, passes through the Al-Aqsa courtyards and corridors, and exits through the Al-Silsileh Gate).
Settlers also performed their prayers at the outer gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, coinciding with the deployment of occupation forces stationed there.
Meanwhile, the occupation authorities imposed restrictions on the entry of Muslims to Al-Aqsa Mosque, preventing young men and women from entering and asking them to return after 3:30 p.m., after the incursions ends. Only the elderly were allowed to enter, while a number of young men who were present inside the mosque were removed.
In Al-Buraq Square, special Passover prayers were held, and the sounds of prayers echoed in the alleys of the Old City and the Silwan neighborhood, located to the south of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Occupation forces also closed several main streets in Jerusalem as dozens of buses and vehicles carrying settlers headed to Al-Buraq Square.
Occupation forces deployed along Al-Wad Street, reaching Al-Buraq Square, and prevented any presence or presence at the outer gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque. They removed the worshipers Abu Bakr Shaimi and Nitham Abu Rammouz from the vicinity of the gates.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem reported that the number of settlers who stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the first three days of Passover (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday) reached 3,386, amid growing calls for the incursions to continue on Wednesday and Thursday.
