376 settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque... and a new administrative detention order
Hundreds of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday, while the occupation authorities renewed the administrative detention order against a young Jerusalemite man.
It was reported that 376 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy protection from occupation forces, amid restrictions imposed on the entry of Palestinian worshippers to the mosque.
The settlers performed public group prayers inside the mosque's courtyards and participated in loud dancing and singing.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem stated that the settlers performed the "Priest's Blessing" ritual at the western arcade, between the Gates of Al-Mathara and Al-Qataneen, in an area directly overlooking the Dome of the Rock. This violation was considered a new addition to a series of ongoing attacks inside the mosque.
The center explained that this prayer is held occasionally on the eastern side of Al-Aqsa, a few meters from the Bab al-Rahma prayer hall. However, today it was held in a new location, and the settlers wore special clothing typically used inside synagogues.
The center noted that the daily public prayers at Al-Aqsa began last August, when the Minister of Internal Security Itamar Ben-Gvir announced his intention to "build a synagogue in Al-Aqsa and affirm Jewish rights there."
Administrative detention
The occupation authorities renewed the administrative detention order against the Jerusalemite, Murad Alayan, for six months. Alayan was arrested in mid-October 2023 and suffers from fractures and bruises to his back and chest as a result of the torture he was subjected to.
Thirty-six Jerusalemite prisoners are currently being held in administrative detention in Israeli prisons.
A sheikh released... and two sheikhs remain in detention
Sheikh Naim Odeh, 60, from Jerusalem, was released yesterday after completing his one-and-a-half-year sentence on charges of "incitement."
Sheikh Issam Amira, 74, from the village of Sur Baher—the oldest Jerusalemite prisoner—and Sheikh Jamal Mustafa, 70, from the village of Issawiya, remain in detention. The two sheikhs were sentenced in recent months to three years in prison on charges of "incitement and support for resistance." They were arrested in October 2023.
In recent months, hundreds of Palestinians have been arrested for "incitement" through sermons, lessons, or social media posts, and indictments have been filed against hundreds of them.
According to statistics published by the Israeli police last November, they had submitted approximately 1,000 requests to open investigations against Palestinians on the grounds of "incitement" since the beginning of the war on Gaza; 500 of which were approved by the Public Prosecution.
The Public Prosecution filed 160 indictments on charges of "incitement," while the police opened 120 other cases under "suspicion of incitement."
