 For more videos on people's struggles, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. Dozens of Palestinians rallied in Gaza on Tuesday, October 22nd, protesting against the frequent Zionist incursions into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. In the last one week alone, at least four such incidents were reported with the invaders numbering in the thousands. On Monday, hundreds of Jewish Israeli settlers, accompanied by soldiers, stormed into the mosque. They reportedly pushed aside Muslim clerics and worshipers, and then gathered to pray for the destruction of the mosque. Four Palestinian worshipers were also detained during this ordeal by Israeli police, according to the Islamic law, which is responsible for looking after the mosque compound. The police gave no clear reason for these detentions. Prior to this, on October 17th, hundreds of Israeli settlers broke into the mosque compound again under the protection of the Israeli police. These intruders included students of Talmudic clerics who went on to perform rituals and prayers. While the settlers were able to proceed with the rituals and discussions on the plans for destruction of the mosque in an uninterrupted manner, Palestinian worshipers waiting to enter the premises faced restrictions from Israeli authorities under the pretext of the settler's security. So why is al-Aqsa so significant, and what are the motives behind these incursions? The al-Aqsa mosque, also known as the Harama Sharif, is considered to be the third holiest site in Islam after Makkah and Medina. It is managed by the Islamic work of organization as per an agreement signed between Israel and Jordan. The settlers who have been regularly forcing their way into the mosque premises are part of the Third Temple Movement. This movement is part of the Israeli policy to construct a historical narrative that justifies the continued colonization and occupation of Palestinian land and historical monuments, as well as the genocide of the Palestinian people. This narrative implies that the land did not belong to the Palestinians living there, and hence was empty before Israel was founded in 1948. A key element of this revisionist process is the eradication of all existing symbols of Palestinian or Muslim presence. And a part of this narrative is a movement's demand that the al-Aqsa mosque be demolished and a Jewish temple be built there instead. By the temple, these extremist Jews are referring to the Second Temple of Solomon, which was built around the 6th century BC and was destroyed during Roman rule. Zionists claim that the temple mount lies on the premises of the mosque compound. They also claim that the western wall is the remnant of the Second Temple. This wall is considered the holiest place for Jews and is adjacent to the al-Aqsa compound. Such incursions have also become more frequent and repressive under the rule of the far-right liquid party. These incursions are not only provocative and acts of hate, but also violate Israeli law. The preservation of holy places law was passed after the 1967 war during the premiership of Levi Ashkel. This Israeli law stipulates that access to religious places for worshippers is protected by the state. Act one of the laws says, the holy places shall be protected from desecration and any other violation and from anything likely to violate the freedom of access of members of different religions to the sacred places. It prescribes five years imprisonment for anyone preventing people from accessing the religious places. As per this Israeli law, Jews are only allowed to visit the mosque at designated hours and are not allowed to pray. However, successive Israeli governments and particularly liquid-led governments have violated the law on numerous occasions, often for political gains. Palestinian Muslims in Gaza cannot even access the mosque, while the 2.5 million Muslims in the West Bank can only do so with a permit. For them, as well, restrictions vary, including a total bar on certain days. For instance, every year, Zionists celebrate the Independence Day of Israel on May 8th. A large number of Jews gather and enter the Al-Aqsa compound on the day in complete defiance of the sensitivities of Muslims. Similarly, June 2nd is celebrated as Jerusalem Day. This is the day each Jerusalem was occupied by Israeli forces during the Arab-Israeli War of 1967. This year, Jerusalem Day fell on one of the last days of the holy month of Ramadan. For the past 30 years, access to the mosque has been restricted for Jews during the last days of Ramadan. This year, on May 16th, an Israeli court rejected a petition presented by a group of Jewish extremists seeking access, but stated that ultimately the police would be responsible for deciding whether or not they would be able to enter. On May 13th, it was reported that the police had planned to stop any such access on Jerusalem Day due to Ramadan to Jews. However, in the end, the change political scenario seemed to have led to a shift in their position. Now, the Israeli government has also stated that it is officially considering allowing Jews to pray inside the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Protesters in different Palestinian organizations have repeatedly stated that the continuing violations of the Al-Aqsa compound will only escalate tensions and lead to mass protests in the region.