Large groups of Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday under tight protection by Israeli occupation forces, as tensions surged ahead of the anniversary of Al-Quds’ occupation and warnings mounted over efforts to alter the status quo at the holy site.
The Islamic Waqf Department said settlers entered the compound through the Mughrabi Gate, performing provocative Talmudic rituals in its courtyards, including “epic prostration” near the Al-Rahma (Mercy) Gate. Israeli Knesset members Yehuda Glick and Ariel Kellner took part in the incursions.
Israeli settlers hold a study session led by former Israeli Knesset member Yehuda Glick during a storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. pic.twitter.com/wxMPvzs9cL
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 14, 2026
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation police imposed strict restrictions on Palestinian worshippers, conducting thorough searches and confiscating ID cards at the holy mosque’s gates, effectively limiting access.
The incursions coincided with the launch of the so-called “Flag March,” which marks the 1967 Israeli occupation of Al-Quds, as hundreds of settlers marched through Jerusalem’s Old City, singing, dancing and staging provocative rituals.
مستوطنون يبدأون "مسيرة الأعلام" في القدس باقتحام المسجد الأقصى، على وقع الغناء والتصفيق والرقص. pic.twitter.com/dGzCF4qDYi
— القسطل الإخباري (@AlQastalps) May 14, 2026
Israeli occupation authorities also ordered Old City Palestinian merchants to shut their shops by midday ahead of the march’s passage.
On the other hand, Al-Quds affairs expert Ziad Abhis warned that Israel is pursuing a phased plan to reshape realities at Al-Aqsa—starting with Thursday incursions, followed by evening entries, and potentially extending to Fridays, in what he described as an unprecedented escalation.
For its part, Hamas Palestinian resistance group said the measures are part of a broader policy to restrict Palestinian presence in Al-Quds and empty the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque of worshippers, urging Palestinians to increase their presence at Al-Aqsa and calling on Arab and Muslim nations to offer support.
Source: Palestinian media (translated and edited by Al-Manar)