Hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa, 'Joseph's Tomb' under police protection

Around 800 Israeli settlers again stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday in occupied East Jerusalem under Israeli police protection, performing Talmudic rituals, prayers, singing and dancing, according to the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department.The incursions came as hundreds of Israeli settlers also stormed “Joseph’s Tomb” in the eastern part of Nablus in the occupied West Bank under heavy protection from Israeli forces, where they performed Talmudic rituals.The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department said 800 settlers entered Al-Aqsa since the morning.The incursions coincided with the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which began September 26 and runs through October 2.The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department said more than 1,500 settlers entered the compound on Sunday, with more than 1,700 on Monday, more than 1,400 on Tuesday and more than 2,400 on Wednesday.The incursions have intensified during Jewish holidays, with violations of the longstanding status quo at the mosque also increasing during those periods, according to the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department.Israeli police began allowing settlers to enter the compound in 2003, and the number entering has since increased significantly.The incursions take place through the Mughrabi Gate in the western wall of the mosque under Israeli police protection and escort.Israeli military vehicles, meanwhile, stormed the eastern part of Nablus early Thursday and forced residents of homes surrounding “Joseph’s Tomb” to evacuate, the Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported.The homes were turned into military barracks, while Israeli snipers were deployed on the rooftops of several houses, it added, citing sources.Buses carrying hundreds of settlers entered the eastern part of the city and headed to “Joseph’s Tomb,” where they performed Talmudic rituals, according to the report.“Joseph’s Tomb” is located on the eastern edge of Nablus, an area under Palestinian control, and is one of the most tense sites in the West Bank.Since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, Jewish worshippers have regarded the site as a sacred religious shrine and believe the remains of Prophet Joseph, son of Prophet Jacob, are buried there.

Archaeologists dispute the claim, saying the site is a few centuries old and is likely the tomb of a Muslim sheikh named Yusuf Dweikat.