The settlers reportedly stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.
Hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, according to news reports.
The Islamic Endowment Department in Jerusalem said in a statement that more than 500 illegal settlers entered the holy site in groups under the protection of Israeli forces, the Anadolu news agency reported.
More than 500 Israeli settlers accompanied by occupation forces have stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque since the morning hours, performing talmudic rituals. pic.twitter.com/PJNoLoJanU
— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) June 2, 2025
Witnesses told Anadolu that the settlers entered the flashpoint site through the Al-Mugharbah Gate, west of the mosque.
According to the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, the illegal settlers performed provocative Talmudic rituals and provocative dances at Bab al-Asbat, Bab al-Hutta, and King Faisal Gate, marking the so-called “Feast of Weeks.”
Since 2003, Israel has allowed illegal settlers into the flashpoint compound almost on a daily basis with the exception of Fridays and Saturdays, according to Anadolu.
‘Flag March’
Last week, more than 1,000 illegal settlers, including far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as part of the controversial Flag March to mark the city’s occupation by Israel.
Ben-Gvir was joined by his wife, as well as Minister for the Negev and Galilee Yitzhak Wasserlauf, and several other Knesset members, including Yitzhak Kroizer from the Jewish Power party, accompanied by police, WAFA reported.
Thousands of Illegal Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque for Israel’s ‘Flag Day’
On X, Ben-Gvir said in a video filmed in the mosque compound that he had “prayed for victory in the war” as well as the return of all captives held in Gaza, “and for the success of the newly appointed head of the Shin Bet – Major General David Zini.”
According to witnesses cited by WAFA, some settlers attempted to bring Torah scrolls into the compound through the Moroccan Gate. Large groups also gathered in the Western Wall plaza (Buraq Square) and near Bab al-Qattanin, where they held prayers and danced.
Sheikh Sabri’s Condemnation
The former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, has reportedly warned that the Al-Aqsa Mosque has become a desecrated site at the disposal of extremist Jewish settlers who are “waging violence and provoking Muslims.”
In an ealier interview with Al Jazeera, Sheikh Sabri said that the city of Jerusalem has turned into a military barracks.
‘Al-Aqsa Desecrated’ – Sheikh Sabri Denounces Jewish Settlers’ Storming of Mosque
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, cited by the Middle East Monitor (MEMO), illegal settlers raided the mosque 21 times during the month of March, coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan. Figures released by the Jerusalem governor showed that 13,064 illegal settlers stormed the mosque in the first quarter of 2025, MEMO reported.
(PC, Anadolu, WAFA, MEMO)
This is why no one likes the Jews: savages like these settlers. They are hated around the world and no one can trust them or be confident that they can co-exist. They are sociopaths who cannot co-exist; they want to murder and rape Arab children, drive out entire Arab families…why would anyone let them have control? And they give a bad name to the very small handful of normal, nice, good Jewish people who want nothing but peace.