CAIRO: Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism said on Tuesday that around 50,098 Israeli extremist settlers attacked Al-Aqsa Mosque during the year of 2023, the second-highest number of such intrusions on record.
The worst single incident occurred during the Jewish holidays in October, when over 8,000 extremist settlers stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque under the shield of Israeli troops, attacking worshippers and forcing them to leave, it added.
Over 50,000 Israeli Extremist Settlers Al-Aqsa Mosque in 2023: Report
Since the occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, the highest number of intrusions into the mosque in a single year was about 51,483 in 2022.
The observatory added that the high number of assaults were evidence of a concerted effort by Israel to exert control over Al-Aqsa Mosque. This, however, was a holy site for Muslims and any such plans were strongly rejected.
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The intrusions, like the “genocide and displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” was a blatant assault on the Islamic nation, it maintained.
Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism seeks to promotes the true Islamic religion and its messages of moderation, human brotherhood and tolerance.
