The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs has warned of escalating occupation measures aimed at imposing a new religious reality inside the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem. In its latest monthly report, the ministry said February saw a sharp rise in violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites, including about 24 incursions by settler groups into the mosque courtyards under heavy protection from occupation forces, alongside strict restrictions on Palestinian worshippers ahead of Ramadan.

The report also documented public Talmudic rituals inside the compound, including collective singing and what is described as “epic prostration”, actions Palestinian officials say violate the historical and legal status of the holy site and provoke Muslims worldwide. The ministry further noted increasing activities near the Al Buraq Wall, warning these steps could pave the way for a temporal and spatial division of the mosque.

Similar measures were reported at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, where the call to prayer was reportedly blocked 45 times during February. Palestinian religious authorities urged international institutions and human rights groups to intervene, warning that continued violations in Jerusalem and Hebron threaten the Islamic and Arab identity of the holy sites and risk further escalation.