Several fanatical Jewish groups were planning Thursday to march to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem to "end its Islamic status" and "Judaize" it.
The groups announced in a joint statement that they would hold the provocative march on Thursday evening, which coincides with the first day of Hanukkah, a Jewish festival that lasts eight days.
The statement said the march, which was greenlit by the Israeli police, would be organized with the aim of "ending the administration of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf in Masjid al-Aqsa," which is responsible for the administration of the Muslim holy site, and "reestablishing full Jewish sovereignty" in Jerusalem and over Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The march will proceed towards Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Damascus Gate, one of the main gates of the Old City of Jerusalem.
Located in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque is under the auspices of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Foundations, according to the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty signed on Oct. 26, 1994.
But fanatical Jews have been raiding Al-Aqsa Mosque accompanied by the police since 2003, with the unilateral decision of Israel and the initiatives of some far-right organizations.
Radical Jews, who call the area the Temple Mount, encourage Israelis to raid Al-Aqsa to perform religious rituals, accompanied by calls to build a Jewish temple there.
The Waqf has warned that the raids of fanatical Jews have increased in recent years.
Israeli forces have imposed restrictions on Muslims entering Al-Aqsa Mosque since Oct. 7, when they launched attacks against the Gaza Strip, and are preventing Palestinians except the elderly from entering the mosque during Friday prayers.
