Israeli authorities prohibit Palestinian journalist from entering al-Aqsa Mosque

Israeli authorities have enforced a ban against Palestinian journalist Ahmad al-Safadi and prohibited him from accessing the al-Aqsa Mosque compound after he was abducted from his residence in the central part of the occupied West Bank.

Local sources reported that Israeli occupation forces invaded Safadi’s home in occupied al-Quds on Sunday.

Safadi, who is affiliated with the National Action Committee in Occupied al-Quds, was then kidnapped and transported to the al-Qishla police station in the Old City of al-Quds, where he received the exclusion order.

According to a report from the al-Quds Governorate, Israeli occupation authorities continue to issue exclusion orders that prohibit Palestinian worshippers, activists and notable figures from accessing the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The measure is part of a strategy aimed at lowering the Palestinian presence in and around the revered site.

Israeli forces abduct female Palestinian journalist during West Bank raid

A Palestinian prisoners

The move comes amid stricter limitations on Palestinian worshippers’ access to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound and an uptick in incursions by Israeli settlers into the compound, all under the protection of Israeli forces, according to the governorate.

It noted that these steps are part of wider Israeli initiatives aimed at establishing a new reality at the holy site.

The development comes a few days after Israeli occupation forces abducted Palestinian journalist Mohammed Hassan Shreiteh in the village of al-Mazra’a al-Gharbiya, northwest of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli military carries out near-daily raids across cities, towns and refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, involving house searches, abductions and on-site interrogations.

Since October 7, 2023, after the Israeli regime began its genocidal war on Gaza, the Israeli army and illegal settlers have ramped up their activities across the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds, leading to the killing of at least 1,181 Palestinians, with thousands injured and around 24,000 others abducted, according to official Palestinian figures.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, Israel has abducted more than 765 Palestinian women, including minors and elderly women, since October 2023 amid the ongoing arrest campaign across the occupied West Bank.

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