Dozens of Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday for the second day in a row from the side of the Moroccan Gate on the second day of the Hebrew New Year holiday.
The Islamic Waqf Authority in Jerusalem reported that dozens of settlers stormed the mosque in successive groups and performed Talmudic rituals under tight protection from occupation police forces.
The Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported that Israeli forces launched a drone into the airspace of the mosque in tandem with the storming.
This is the second storming of the mosque in two days, as dozens of settlers stormed Temple Mount on Monday amid tight protection from Israeli police forces.
On Monday, three Palestinians were injured after Israeli forces attacked worshippers near Bab Al-Asbaat in the Old City of Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Furthermore, the Israeli army announced the imposition of a comprehensive “security cordon” on the West Bank during the Jewish holidays and the closure of checkpoints in Gaza from New Year’s Eve on 25 September till 18 October.
On the eve of the Hebrew New Year holiday, Israeli police forces raised the alert status on Sunday and deployed thousands of its officers in the vicinity of Jerusalem, setting up checkpoints along the contact line, entertainment venues, synagogues, and other crowded places.
On Tuesday, Israeli police continued to prevent worshippers under the age of forty from reaching the mosque or performing dawn prayers inside Temple Mount after they had been prevented from praying on Monday.
The police also emptied the chapels and courtyards of Temple Mount of Palestinian worshipers to secure the settlers’ incursions into the holy place to celebrate the advent of the Hebrew New Year.
