Jerusalem: Jerusalem Governorate affirmed that it had spotted 4,397 colonists trespassing into Al-Aqsa Mosque, along with 7,868 others who entered the Mosque under the cover of what is referred to as tourism throughout January 2026.
According to Qatar News Agency, the Governorate released a statement on Monday highlighting that these actions were accompanied by steps from the Israeli Knesset to limit worshipers' access during the upcoming Holy Ramadan. This move is seen as a violation of the historic and legal status quo, and an attempt to assert occupation sovereignty over the site.
The statement underscored a significant increase in the repression and detention policies by occupation authorities against the Jerusalemites, documenting 103 arrests of Palestinians, including five children and two women. This is part of a systematic campaign targeting different areas of occupied Jerusalem.
The document detailed that these arrests were paired with intrusive actions into homes and neighborhoods and detentions at barricades and streets, often involving force and beatings. The arrests mainly targeted areas around the Mosque, focusing on Palestinian worshipers and youth.
The colonists were reported to have conducted 53 assaults in January, including physical harm and incursions into Palestinian lands and properties in locations such as Silwan and the Bedouin communities in Khan Al'Ahmar and Mukhmas. There were also provocative actions in the Old City and attacks on Palestinians and their religious sites.
The Governorate further observed increasing violations against the Mosque, with attempts to impose a new status quo, undermining the legal and historic norms, alongside ongoing razing operations. Casualties were reported among Palestinians, along with arbitrary arrests, imprisonment, forced expulsion, and colonial plans aimed at the Judaization of Jerusalem.
The Israeli occupation is accused of attempting to erase the Islamic and historical identity of Jerusalem and executing plans to divide the Al-Aqsa Mosque both spatially and temporally.