Occupied Jerusalem, February 02 (QNA) - Jerusalem Governorate affirmed that it had spotted 4,397 colonists trespassing into Al-Aqsa Mosque, along with 7,868 others who entered the Mosque under the cover of what is referred to as tourism throughout January 2026.
In a statement on Monday, the Governorate added that these instructions were coupled with critical and official steps that included recommendations from the Israeli Knesset to restrict worshipers' accessibility during the upcoming Holy Ramadan, in direct breach of the historic and legal status quo and as an exposed attempt to impose the occupation's sovereignty over the Mosque.
The past month was marked by a striking escalation in the repression and detention policy pursued by the occupation authorities against the Jerusalemites, the statement remarked, noting that it had documented 103 arrests of Palestinians, among whom were five children and two women, as part of a methodical campaign targeting various parts of occupied Jerusalem.
The statement pointed out that these detentions had been coupled with wide intrusions into homes and neighborhoods, as well as field detentions at barricades and streets, using disproportionate force and beatings.
It further noted that these detentions were mainly focused on multiple areas in Jerusalem, as well as in the perimeter of the Mosque, where Palestinian worshipers and young people had been directly targeted.
The colonists conducted 53 assaults in the city last month, including four assaults involving physical harm, as well as breaking into Palestinian lands and property in Silwan, the Bedouin communities in Khan Al‑Ahmar and Mukhmas, carrying out provocative actions in the Old City, and attacks on Palestinians and their Islamic and Christian holy sites, including churches and mosques, the statement continued.
In addition, the Governorate spotted mounting violations against the Mosque, followed by attempts to impose a new status quo and undermine the legal and historic status quo, in addition to the persistent razing operations.
The statement further noted that casualties among the Palestinians were recorded, alongside arbitrary arrests, sentences of actual imprisonment, and decisions of forced expulsion, in addition to continuing the colonial plans aimed at the Judaization of the city.
The Israeli occupation strives to obliterate the Islamic and historical identity of the city of Jerusalem and to carry out its plans for the division of the Al‑Aqsa Mosque in spatial and temporal patterns. (QNA)