JERUSALEM, September 11, 2026 (WAFA) — Dozens of Israeli colonists on Friday broke into Bab al-Rahma cemetery, adjacent to the eastern wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem, and performed Jewish religious rituals and blew the shofar near Muslim graves under the protection of Israeli police.

The rituals were held from the exterior side of the cemetery for the third consecutive week, according to the Palestinian-run Jerusalem Governorate. The incidents took place on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

The governorate said the rituals come amid growing demands by groups associated with the so-called Temple Mount movement to conduct religious rituals inside Al-Aqsa Mosque during Jewish holidays.

It said that when some of these rituals are prevented from taking place inside the mosque compound, colonists have increasingly sought to conduct them around the compound, at its gates and near its walls, particularly at Bab al-Rahma cemetery.

The Jerusalem Governorate described the practice as an attempt to establish new facts on the ground, extend the Judaization of the area surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque and target the Islamic character of the mosque and the religious and historical sites around it.

The rituals followed the entry of 409 Israeli colonists into Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday through the Moroccan Gate during morning and evening visiting periods, under Israeli security protection. The governorate said dozens of colonists also performed public group rituals in the Bab al-Rahma area, while Muslim worshippers faced restrictions and were prevented from reaching the area during the incursions.

The Jerusalem Governorate warned against exploiting the Jewish holiday season to expand incursions, introduce new religious rituals, increase the times and areas in which colonists are present, and restrict Muslim worshippers and Islamic Waqf personnel.

It also warned that such measures threaten the existing historical and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surrounding area.

M.N