JERUSALEM, August 3, 2025 (WAFA) – The number of Israeli settlers who stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday has risen to 3,023, according to the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem. The mass incursion was led by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and several extremist members of the Israeli Knesset.

The unprecedented escalation has sparked widespread condemnation and warnings from Palestinian officials and institutions.

The Palestinian Presidency described the provocative settler incursions as a "dangerous escalation" and a continuation of the genocide and starvation campaign being carried out against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

According to the Islamic Waqf, settlers performed Talmudic rituals, danced, chanted loudly, waved Israeli flags, and openly carried Torah scrolls near one of the mosque’s gates. These acts were carried out under heavy police protection, amid growing efforts by Israel’s far-right government to assert control over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

The Waqf stressed that the holy site is being subjected to daily violations by settler groups operating with state backing, as part of a clearly structured and escalating plan to take over religious landmarks.

Israeli forces also erected multiple military checkpoints throughout Jerusalem and barred many Palestinians from entering the Old City.

This escalation comes in a highly charged atmosphere, just weeks after Ben-Gvir instructed Israeli police to allow settlers to sing and dance inside the mosque. That directive, observers say, was intended to normalize the imposition of “new facts on the ground.”

In May, Ben-Gvir openly declared during a previous incursion that “prayers and prostration are now possible on the Temple Mount,” in a direct and dangerous violation of the historic status quo governing the site.

M.N