Jerusalem: For the first time since the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967, nine colonists stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Friday evening, carrying a 'bread offering.' The individuals forced their way into the site after assaulting two mosque guards, marking a serious precedent.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency, the Jerusalem Governorate stated that the colonists entered the compound through Bab al-Ghawanmeh and reached the courtyard of the Dome of the Rock. This entry was amid significant incitement by extremist 'Temple' groups during the Jewish Shavuot holiday.
The Governorate further noted that this escalation is part of ongoing efforts to impose new realities inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. There have been calls to bring plant and animal offerings into the area as part of attempts by 'Temple' groups to impose biblical rituals and change its Islamic identity.
Incitement by colonists' groups to storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound intensified on Friday, a day when it is usually closed to such incursions, as well as on Saturday.