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Occupied Jerusalem - 

Israeli settlers have regularly stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque since 2003, entering through the Mughariba Gate in the western wall of the mosque, and exiting through the Silsila Gate in the same wall.

The occupation police open the Mughrabi Gate daily except Friday and Saturday, and it is closed during the last ten days of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and the anniversary of the Isra and Mi’raj, unless these Islamic occasions intersect with Jewish occasions.

The raids take place in two periods a day, in the morning and in the afternoon, for an average of 5 hours a day, other than the times of the noon and afternoon prayers.

The storming route begins with the settlers entering the Buraq Wall towards the bridge that was erected over Bab al-Maghariba Hill, which leads directly to Al-Aqsa Mosque, and they are accompanied by police officers and special forces throughout the storming period.

The numbers and strength of the groups vary according to the total daily number of intruders, which increases coinciding with Jewish religious occasions or holidays.

Below we review information about the course of the raids, what is happening in them, the number of intruders, and what they do in their raids.

Intrusion path

The incursions begin from the Mughrabi Gate on foot, along the Al-Qibli prayer area, towards the east of the mosque. In the eastern area, near the wall of the mosque and the Gate of Mercy, the settlers stop for a long time and perform their silent and aloud prayers and other rituals.

They also sit on the step adjacent to the wall and listen to the explanations of the guide or the rabbi accompanying them, and then they head along the Bab al-Rahma Road towards the north of the mosque.

Some settlers climb towards the northern sides of the courtyard of the Dome of the Rock and then perform prayers and take pictures, without entering the courtyard of the Dome of the Rock or the covered chapels. Then they continue their storming towards the west of the mosque, along the western portico.

The intruders stood for a long time in front of or above the stairs of the Western Baqa and performed their prayers there as well, and some of them drank from the ancient Sabil of Qaytbay.

The storming ends with the settlers leaving Bab al-Silsilah, west of the mosque, singing and walking backwards (with their backs toward the door).

After leaving, they stand on the threshold of Bab al-Silsilah, from which the Dome of the Rock can be seen. They perform additional, louder and noisier prayers and dances, then they leave via Bab al-Silsilah Road towards the Old City.

Pauses and rituals

The most prominent stations where the intruders stand and perform their rituals and prayers are to the east: near the Gate of Mercy, to the north: near the northern stripes of the courtyard of the Dome of the Rock, to the west: at the western portico.

As for the times with the highest number of intruders, they occur on more than 20 religious and political occasions, the most prominent of which are: the Jewish Passover, the Hebrew New Year, and the Day of the Unification of Jerusalem.

The most prominent rituals and violations of settlers in Al-Aqsa are: morning prayer (Shaharit), blessing of puberty (Bar/Bat Mitzvah), blessing of marriage, prayers for the dead and prisoners, epic prostration, storming barefoot, blessing of the priests, and recitation of books from the Torah.

The Chief Rabbinate of the occupying state prohibits Jews from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque or what it calls the “Temple Mount,” due to the failure to fulfill the condition of purity from the impurity of the dead, as they call it waiting for “the Messiah the Savior,” but the Temple groups disagree with this.

Intrusions in numbers:

According to documentation by the Islamic Endowments Department, the number of intruders into Al-Aqsa Mosque has increased significantly in recent years, and was as follows: 52,853 (2023), 48,238 (2022), 34,117 (2021), 18,526 (2020), 29 1,610 (2019), 29,801 (2018), 25,630 (2017), 14,870 (2016), 11,589 (2015), 11,870 (2014), 1,688 (2013).

Source: Al Jazeera