Jerusalem Governorate reports 7 attempts to bring sacrificial animals into Al-Aqsa Mosque

The Jerusalem Governorate said Sunday that seven documented attempts were made during this year’s Jewish Passover to bring sacrificial animals into Al-Aqsa Mosque, the highest number recorded since 1967.

In a statement, the governorate said Israeli occupiers in two of the attempts managed to reach the vicinity of Jerusalem’s Old City with the animals as part of repeated efforts to perform religious rituals inside the mosque compound.

It described the attempts as a dangerous escalation and part of efforts to impose new realities at the site they refer to as the Temple Mount by seeking to slaughter animals inside the compound.

The governorate said occupation groups are exploiting the continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, to intensify incitement campaigns, including through videos and artificial intelligence-generated content aimed at mobilizing supporters.

It called for urgent action at the Palestinian, Arab and international levels to halt the attempts, protect Islamic holy sites and reopen the mosque.

Israeli authorities kept both Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre closed for a 37th consecutive day, citing security concerns.

Palestinians, however, say Israel is using the closure to tighten its control over the mosque compound and impose further restrictions on Muslim worshippers.

According to the governorate, Friday marked the ninth time since 1967 that Israel closed Al-Aqsa Mosque on a Friday. The mosque’s courtyards were empty of worshippers except for a small number of Islamic Waqf employees, while last Friday marked the fifth consecutive week of the closure.

Israeli police announced last Monday that they would allow only “limited prayer” at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre after several European countries criticized authorities for preventing the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Custos of the Holy Land Father Francesco Patton from attending Palm Sunday celebrations.

Since Feb. 28, Israel has kept both holy sites closed under the pretext of preventing gatherings amid regional tensions during the US-Israeli war on Iran, Iran’s response, and the expansion of the conflict to Lebanon on March 2.

*Writing by Tarek Chouiref