Egypt condemns settler incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards

Egypt condemned the entry of dozens of Israeli settlers into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said the entries, which took place under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, were part of a repeated and escalating pattern of violations and provocative practices.

It described the incursions as a flagrant violation of international law, an infringement on the sanctity of religious shrines and a threat to security and stability in the region.

The ministry said in the statement that Egypt categorically rejects all attempts to impose a temporal or spatial division on the mosque or to alter its existing historical and legal status.

It called on the international community to assume its responsibilities, halt the recurring violations and prevent further escalation and tension in the region.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is part of a compound in Jerusalem's Old City that Muslims call the Noble Sanctuary and Jews call the Temple Mount, and it is one of the holiest sites in Islam.

Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, a move the international community has not recognized.

Under a long-standing status quo arrangement, Jordan oversees Muslim religious affairs at the compound, while Israel controls security there.

Arab governments have repeatedly raised the status of the site in diplomatic channels.