Jerusalem: Thousands of colonists stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque and Bab al-Rahma Cemetery Thursday, on the fifth day of the Jewish Passover holiday.
According to Qatar News Agency, Palestinian news agency (WAFA), citing a statement from Occupied Jerusalem Governorate, reported that thousands of colonists stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in successive groups from the Maghrebi Gate and performed Talmudic rituals at the courtyards.
The statement added that Zvi Sukkot, an extremist member of the Israeli Knesset from the Religious Zionism Party, performed special rituals in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Thousands of colonists also stormed the Western Wall plaza west of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The occupation police imposed strict security measures, transforming the mosque and its surrounding area into a military barracks, preventing many Palestinians from entering, and confiscating their ID cards at the external gates.
Palestinian sources reported that settlers stormed the Bab al-Rahma Cemetery and performed Talmudic rituals simultaneously with the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, a blatant violation of the sanctity of the cemetery.
The Bab al-Rahma Cemetery contains the graves of a number of companions of the Prophet Muhammad, scholars, Islamic leaders, and martyrs of the Islamic conquests. It extends from Bab al-Asbat to the end of the eastern wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque, reaching the Umayyad palaces area south of the mosque.