Occupied Jerusalem, February 15 (QNA) - The Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department reported that 144 settlers stormed the compound of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday, heavily escorted by Israeli occupation police.
Emerging from the Dung Gate, they conducted provocative tours and performed Talmudic rites in the eastern area of the Mosque, while occupation forces tightened entry measures for worshippers and Jerusalemites, retaining some identification documents at the gates and continuing banning campaigns.
The move appears intended to reduce the Palestinian presence and depopulate the Mosque, serving as a prelude to imposing restrictions on religious rites and paving the way for colonist incursions.
So far, the Department has documented 4,397 settler incursions into the Mosque compound, along with 7,868 others who entered under the guise of tourism during last January. (QNA)