AhlulBayt News Agency: On Monday, the courtyards of the Aqsa Mosque witnessed large-scale incursions by Israeli settlers under heavy security measures enforced by Israeli police, coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
According to the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem, groups of settlers, each numbering dozens, entered the Aqsa compound in successive waves, conducting provocative tours throughout the courtyards. These tours included the performance of Talmudic rituals under direct police protection.
The department reported that settlers performed prayers and religious rituals in the eastern section of the Mosque and attended lectures about the so-called “Temple,” in ongoing violations of the sanctity of the site.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces imposed tighter restrictions on Palestinian worshipers entering the holy site. ID cards were confiscated at the gates, access to paths designated for settler incursions was blocked, and military checkpoints were set up around the Mosque and the Old City to secure the raids.
In a related development, thousands of settlers gathered at the Buraq Plaza west of the Aqsa Mosque, where Torah-themed light projections were displayed on the walls near Jaffa Gate in Occupied Jerusalem.
Additionally, the Israeli mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion, accompanied by a former Israeli prisoner and several rabbis, visited the Buraq Plaza to light the first Hanukkah candle. The holiday, lasting eight days, is closely tied to the concept of the so-called “Temple” in Jewish tradition.
Hanukkah commemorates the Maccabees’ victory over the Greeks and the rededication of the “Second Temple” in Jerusalem. Rituals include the daily lighting of the menorah and the “Maccabees March,” which passes through the alleys of the Old City and around the Aqsa Mosque.
Palestinian groups have urged worshipers to maintain a strong presence at the holy site and in Occupied Jerusalem to resist the ongoing settler incursions, despite the restrictive and oppressive measures imposed by Israeli authorities.
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