Details - Violations escalate at Al-Aqsa during "Memorial Day" and "Independence Day"
Violations persisted within the Al-Aqsa Mosque by extremist Temple Mount groups and organizations, who used the so-called "Memorial Day" and "Independence Day" on the Hebrew calendar to escalate their incursions and carry out public rituals inside its courtyards.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Al-Aqsa experienced a notable increase in intrusions and violations. On Wednesday, 632 settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque—508 in the morning and 124 in the afternoon—one of the highest recent numbers, coinciding with the so-called "Independence Day," marking 78 years since Israel's declaration, which Palestinians see as the Nakba.
A series of serious violations were observed during the incursions, most notably:
• Performing group and public prayers within the Al-Aqsa courtyards.
• Reciting the "Israeli national anthem" inside the mosque.
• Performing "mass prostration" in the courtyards.
• Organizing dance and singing circles in several areas, especially on the eastern side near the Bab al-Rahma prayer area.
• Chanting religious hymns along the western path with frequent pauses.
• Raising Israeli flags inside Al-Aqsa Mosque.
• Wearing clothing prominently displaying Israeli flags and images of the alleged "Temple."
Temple Mount groups observed that this year's intruder figures were higher than in previous years. They expressed satisfaction with the police's "facilitations," especially the permission to hold multiple prayers—including morning, afternoon, and "Hilel" prayers—and the so-called "Holiday prayer."
Strict restrictions on Palestinian worshippers
On Wednesday, occupation authorities enforced strict restrictions on Muslim worshippers entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, particularly during dawn and noon prayers. Many were turned away and instructed to return before the afternoon prayer. Additionally, barriers were placed on roads leading to Al-Aqsa, blocking worshippers from accessing its gates.
Worshippers performed the dawn prayer on the road leading to the Lions' Gate after being forcibly removed from the vicinity of the mosque, while the noon prayer was held in the surrounding streets, alleyways, and mosques.
Arrests and expulsions during incursions
Inside the mosque, Israeli occupation forces conducted an arrest campaign targeting 14 young men and women, most of whom are from the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948. They were taken to interrogation centers and then released under conditions, including a one-week ban from Al-Aqsa Mosque, with the chance for renewal.
Police also removed young men and women from the Al-Aqsa courtyards during the incursions, restricted their seating areas, and prevented them from being present along the routes taken by settlers.
Tuesday incursions (Memorial Day)
On Tuesday, which coincided with what the so-called "Memorial Day for the soldiers killed during wars," 233 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, where they performed group and public prayers in various courtyards and raised Israeli flags, a scene that was repeated and expanded the following day.
This was preceded by an additional violation represented by the storming of the sound room inside Al-Aqsa “on Monday evening”, and the damage to parts of the wire network of the loudspeakers, which directly affected the broadcast of the Ishaa call to prayer, which was limited to the internal speakers only, coinciding with a celebration in the courtyards of Al-Buraq Square to commemorate the anniversary.
Jewish holidays and festivals are increasingly used as opportunities to escalate violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque, reflecting attempts to impose a new reality there. This includes a steady rise in incursions, a broader scope of public and group prayers, and the conversion of the courtyard into a space for religious rituals. Meanwhile, restrictions on Palestinian worshippers are becoming more stringent.
These practices reflect a gradual trend toward entrenching the temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque by imposing it as a fait accompli.
