Settlers Break into Al-Aqsa Mosque to Celebrate Jewish Holidays

Palestinians complain that settlers stormed Al-Aqsa to celebrate Jewish holidays (AP)
Palestinians complain that settlers stormed Al-Aqsa to celebrate Jewish holidays (AP)
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Settlers Break into Al-Aqsa Mosque to Celebrate Jewish Holidays

Palestinians complain that settlers stormed Al-Aqsa to celebrate Jewish holidays (AP)
Palestinians complain that settlers stormed Al-Aqsa to celebrate Jewish holidays (AP)

Israeli settlers have stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque flanked by Israeli police and security forces on Wednesday, marking Jewish holidays.

The Islamic Endowment Department in Jerusalem said that 1,210 settlers broke into the mosque through Al-Mughrabi Gate.

They entered in batches in the morning and evening and also performed provocative tours inside.

Jewish guides made presentations on the temple inside the mosque while others performed Talmud rituals.

Notably, Israeli settler groups have called on supporters to force their way into the Al-Aqsa during The Ten Days of Repentance.

Palestinians accuse Israel of working on changing the status quo in the mosque. The Palestinian Authority says that the settlers are supported by the Israeli government.

According to WAFA, local sources reported several cases of suffocation among citizens.



Hamas Confirms Death of Leader Yahya Sinwar

Yahya Sinwar, Gaza Strip chief of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, waves to Palestinians during a rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), in Gaza, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo
Yahya Sinwar, Gaza Strip chief of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, waves to Palestinians during a rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), in Gaza, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo
TT

Hamas Confirms Death of Leader Yahya Sinwar

Yahya Sinwar, Gaza Strip chief of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, waves to Palestinians during a rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), in Gaza, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo
Yahya Sinwar, Gaza Strip chief of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, waves to Palestinians during a rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), in Gaza, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo

Hamas on Friday confirmed its leader Yahya Sinwar had been killed by the Israeli military in Gaza, a day after Israel announced his death.

"We mourn the great leader, the martyred brother, Yahya Sinwar, Abu Ibrahim," Qatar-based Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said in a recorded video statement broadcast by Al Jazeera, AFP reported.

Sinwar became Israel's most wanted man after the October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest in Israeli history.

In his statement, Hayya said Hamas would not release the hostages it seized from Israel during the attack until the war in Gaza ends.

The hostages "will not return... unless the aggression against our people in Gaza stops," the senior Hamas official said, as he called on Israel to withdraw from Gaza and release Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Hayya said the group would take strength from Sinwar's killing, which he said has set him among "the leaders and symbols of the movement who preceded him".