Israel arrests Jewish extremist for trying to sacrifice sheep at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israeli police on Sunday arrested a man for attempting to sacrifice a sheep at Al-Aqsa Mosque in a Jewish religious ritual, according to reports.

The man, affiliated with the extremist Chozrim L'Har movement, was detained as he approached the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is the third most sacred site in Islam, the Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post reported.

Jewish extremists have increasingly tried to storm the mosque in recent months, performing provocative religious rites there in violation of a long-standing status quo, which while allowing non-Muslims to visit the site, only permits Muslim prayer there.

Animal sacrifice is among the rites which the extremists have tried to perform at the mosque.

Some Jewish extremist movements aim to destroy the mosque and "rebuild" an ancient Jewish temple that they believe existed on its site in ancient times. Others want Muslims and Jews to share the site.

Following the arrest of the man, the Chozrim L’Har movement said: “There is no more room for Muslim rule on the Temple Mount... it is time to build a Jewish temple and renew sacrifices”.

The arrest of the man came as around 860 extremists stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday, according to the Jordan-affiliated Islamic Waqf authorities who oversee the sacred mosque.

Israeli settlers try to provoke the Murabitat (women defenders of Al-Aqsa) as they break into the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards in occupied #Jerusalem, today. pic.twitter.com/yj3s1Qi8Wc

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 2, 2023

On Monday, hundreds of extremists again tried to storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which coincided with the week-long Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

The Arabic news website Al-Arabi 21 reported that around 600 extremists stormed the mosque, among them members of the Israeli Knesset.

Israel also deployed hundreds of police in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday and detained Palestinian women who stay long-term in the Al-Aqsa Mosque to protect it from Israeli extremist incursions, the Quds News Network reported.

Palestinian East Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, was occupied by Israel following the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and later illegally annexed.