Since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip, Israel has detained more than 11,300 people in the occupied West Bank.

Qatar has strongly condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by hundreds of Israeli settlers, and called for immediate action to protect holy sites from such provocations.

In a statement on Sunday, the Qatari foreign ministry described the raid as “a flagrant violation of international law and an act of provocation to the feelings of Muslims worldwide”.

The Gulf state also warned of the “repercussions of the repeated Israeli attempts to compromise” the mosque’s “religious and historical status quo”.

“The international community should shoulder its moral and legal responsibility toward Jerusalem and its sanctities,” the statement added, reiterating Qatar’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause.

Sources on the ground told Palestine’s news agency, Wafa, that more than 434 settlers broke into the mosque to perform Jewish religious rituals, led by Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, during the fourth day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday.

The settlers were under the complete protection of the occupation forces, who had intensified their entry restrictions for Palestinian worshippers in the days leading up to the raid. All access from the Lions’ Gate to the Mughrabi Gate was closed off by Israeli authorities.

Such moves have increased particularly in the shadow of the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, last year, amid complete impunity and lack of firm international action.

The Israeli violations come amid attempts to Judaize Al-Aqsa Mosque as part of its illegal occupation of Palestine. Israel had captured East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967, widely known as the Naksa or “setback”.

Israeli occupation ‘unlawful’

In July, the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion that declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories as unlawful. The Court ordered for the end of Israel’s presence on illegally occupied Palestinian territories “as rapidly as possible”. 

The ICJ ruling came after a 2022 request by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that sought its opinion on the legality of Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

Qatar was among the majority of 98 countries that voted in favour of the UNGA resolution, whereas 24 other countries, including Israel’s main ally, the United States, voted against the resolution. 

A total of 53 other members had abstained.

Despite the ruling, Israel has intensified its settler expansion and occupation policies while carrying out deadly raids across the West Bank.

Since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip, Israel has detained more than 11,300 people in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian prisoners’ rights organisations.

In the same time period, Israel has also killed at least 759 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to Wafa.