JERUSALEM, October 2, 2025 (WAFA) – Israeli colonists stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday, under heavy Israeli police protection, on the pretext of marking Yom Kippur, local sources confirmed.
They said that a total of 356 Israeli colonists stormed the mosque compound, amid heightened Israeli military measures around Al-Aqsa Mosque and in the Old City of Jerusalem. They also obstructed Palestinian access to the holy site to secure the colonist incursion.
Meanwhile, groups affiliated with the so-called "Union of Temple Organizations" called on their supporters to participate in a mass raid of Al-Aqsa Mosque next Monday, under the pretext of celebrating the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.
Israeli police have turned the city into a large prison by blocking streets with concrete blocks and erecting iron barricades, with the aim of facilitating the movement of colonist buses, while obstructing Palestinians mobility between Jerusalem neighborhoods.
On Wednesday evening, in preparation for Yom Kippur, Israeli troops shut down dozens of vital streets and roads in occupied Jerusalem, under the pretext of securing colonist marches celebrating Yom Kippur. This closure brought residents' movement to a near-total standstill and disrupted their daily lives.
The occupation police deployed heavy military reinforcements and set up checkpoints around the Old City, Bab al-Amud, and Hebron. They closed roads leading to the neighborhoods of Silwan, al-Thawri, al-Issawiya, al-Tur, Sheikh Jarrah, al-Musrara, and Wadi al-Joz. Special forces were also deployed at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
These measures obstructed the movement of Palestinians, preventing them from freely reaching their workplaces and livelihoods, in turn, colonists were allowed to gather and perform their religious rituals inside and outside the Old City.
Israel exploits Jewish holidays to close roads and impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, which exacerbates their daily suffering and reveals the double standards regarding freedom of worship and movement.
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