Warnings over unprecedented plans to storm Aqsa Mosque during Al-Quds occupation anniversary

Al-Quds’ affairs researcher Ziyad Ibhais said the danger this year lies in the coincidence of the occasion with Friday, a day when settler incursions into Aqsa are usually prohibited. Any attempt to break this status quo, he warned, would mark a highly dangerous shift like attacks against the mosque.

In press statements, Ibhais explained that Fridays at Aqsa typically witness the presence of thousands of Palestinian worshippers, making any possible incursion a “battle over sovereignty” through which Israeli authorities seek to impose new realities inside the compound.

Efforts to impose a new reality

Ibhais said Temple groups are pursuing three gradual objectives. The first is to force an incursion into Aqsa on Friday morning during the usual raid hours between 6:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

He added that if those groups fail to carry out the morning incursion, they aim to force a second incursion after Friday prayers between 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., a move that would be unprecedented since Israel occupied Jerusalem in 1967.

According to Ibhais, Israeli extremists are basing their efforts on previous attempts by Israeli authorities to break the ban on incursions during Islamic occasions, including the storming of Aqsa during Eid al-Adha in 2019.

He also recalled the attempted storming of the mosque on the 28th day of Ramadan in 2021, which later contributed to the outbreak of the “Sword of Al-Quds” confrontation after Palestinian worshippers confronted incursions inside the compound.

Political backing and settler mobilization

Ibhais noted that Temple groups have already begun mobilizing settlers by launching a petition calling for the raising of the Israeli flag inside Aqsa Mosque next Friday.

He said these efforts are receiving growing political backing from ministers and members of the Knesset affiliated with the Likud and Religious Zionism parties, indicating official support for the plan.

According to Ibhais, 13 Israeli politicians, including three ministers and 10 Knesset members, have demanded that Israeli police allow the Friday incursion to proceed or compensate by opening an additional raid period on the evening of Thursday, May 14.

Expanding raid hours

The Jerusalem-based researcher explained that the second goal of the Temple groups is to impose a new incursion period on Thursday after afternoon prayers, paving the way for future expansion of daily raid hours at Aqsa to nearly nine hours a day.

He added that extremist groups view establishing raids during the post-afternoon period as a key step toward entrenching what they call “equal rights” inside Aqsa Mosque.

The third objective, according to Ibhais, relates to attempts by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to storm the covered prayer halls, particularly the Dome of the Rock and the Qibli Mosque.

“Steadfast presence” as the last line of defense

In response to these plans, Ibhais stressed that maintaining a constant Palestinian presence at Aqsa represents the “last line of defense” to protect the Mosque and prevent the imposition of new realities.

He called on Palestinians to intensify their presence at the mosque beginning Thursday afternoon, May 14, and from the early hours of Friday morning while attempting to remain inside despite expected Israeli measures aimed at preventing that.

He noted that Zionist regime’s police hesitation so far to announce a clear position reflects concern over growing Palestinian mobilization at the Aqsa Mosque.

Ibhais stressed that thwarting these plans depends on the scale of Palestinian presence and steadfastness at the mosque over the coming days. He added that the coincidence of these developments with the 78th anniversary of the Nakba gives Aqsa broader national significance, as protecting the mosque is tied to defending Palestinian identity, the right of return, and resisting efforts aimed at erasing the Palestinian cause.