Israeli Forces Arrest Al-Aqsa Guards in East Jerusalem Raids

Israeli occupation forces stormed several neighborhoods of occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, arresting a number of guards employed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and tightening movement restrictions on Palestinian residents, in the latest escalation targeting the holy site and its custodians. Eyewitnesses said heavily armed Israeli police and border units raided homes in the Old City, Silwan, and the Wadi al-Joz district before dawn, detaining the guards from their residences and transferring them to interrogation centers. The Islamic Waqf Department, which administers the mosque under Jordanian custodianship, condemned the arrests as a flagrant assault on the staff entrusted with protecting one of Islam's holiest sites.

The raids coincided with the imposition of fresh checkpoints at the gates of the Al-Aqsa compound, where Israeli forces inspected identification cards and barred several worshippers, particularly young men, from entering for prayers. Palestinian sources reported scuffles at Bab al-Silsila and Bab Hutta gates, with at least three civilians lightly injured by rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry described the operations as part of a systematic Israeli campaign to alter the historical and legal status quo at the mosque, warning of dangerous repercussions across the region.

The latest detentions bring the number of Al-Aqsa guards arrested or banned from the compound this year into the dozens, according to Waqf officials, who say Israel is deliberately weakening the Jordanian-supervised administration to expand the presence of Israeli police and settlers inside the esplanade. Storming of the courtyards by far-right Israeli ministers and settler groups has surged in recent months, often under heavy security cover.

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly denounced Israeli incursions into Al-Aqsa as a grave violation of international law and the sanctity of Islamic holy sites. Doha, which has provided sustained humanitarian and reconstruction support to Jerusalem and Gaza, reiterated this week its call on the international community to compel Israel to halt its escalations and respect the Hashemite custodianship over the city's Islamic and Christian holy places. Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers have similarly warned that continued provocations at Al-Aqsa risk inflaming tensions far beyond the occupied Palestinian territories.

Jordan, which retains custodianship of the Jerusalem holy sites under a 1994 treaty, summoned the Israeli charge d'affaires in Amman to protest the raids. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, headquartered in Jeddah, is expected to convene an emergency session on the situation in Jerusalem in the coming days. Palestinian factions called for mass mobilization at the mosque and in West Bank cities to confront what they described as a creeping Israeli takeover of the sanctuary.