Israeli settlers sang the Israeli national anthem inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem during a visit to the site under police protection, according to witnesses and videos circulating online.
Footage from the compound showed groups of settlers singing and celebrating near the Dome of the Rock after entering the mosque grounds. Witnesses said the visit took place under heavy Israeli police security, with settlers moving through the courtyards of the site while Palestinian worshippers were present.
The incident is the latest in a series of visits by Israeli settlers to the Al-Aqsa compound, a site revered by Muslims as Islam's third-holiest place. Palestinian officials and worshippers have long viewed such visits, particularly when accompanied by religious rituals, flags or nationalist displays, as provocative and a challenge to the longstanding arrangements governing the site.
Tensions around Al-Aqsa have remained high in recent years amid repeated settler incursions and disputes over access and religious practices at the compound.
Videos from the scene showed settlers singing the anthem and gathering in groups within the compound, drawing criticism from Palestinians who said the actions further heightened tensions at one of Jerusalem's most sensitive religious sites.
