Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has called for action against the increasing raids by Israeli settlers on the revered al-Aqsa Mosque and throughout the West Bank.

A member of the Hamas political bureau and head of the al-Quds Affairs Office, in a press statement on Wednesday, warned about the Israeli incursions into the holy al-Aqsa Mosque as part of a big invasion.

“The extensive incursions by settlers during the so-called Hanukkah festival are part of the ongoing Israeli crimes against our people and sacred sites across the West Bank,” Harun Nasser al-Din stated.

He emphasized the importance of gathering at al-Aqsa Mosque to resist such attacks and support the ongoing fight against the Israeli military campaign against Gaza that has persisted for over 14 months.

Earlier on Friday, the Hamas official emphasized that protecting al-Aqsa has evolved into a sacred obligation due to the severe violations against Islamic holy sites, which are coinciding with the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the Israeli regime against the Palestinian population in Gaza and the West Bank.

He also called for a large gathering at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the upcoming days, aimed at safeguarding the site and countering the increasing efforts of Judaization.

On Wednesday, Israeli settlers launched a large-scale raid on al-Aqsa Mosque, under the protection of the Israeli police to commemorate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, which usually begins in December. This year it started on December 25 and lasts until January 2.

Moreover, extremist Jewish groups known as the “Temple Mount groups” called for widespread incursions into al-Aqsa coinciding with the Hanukkah.

During this period, groups of settlers enter al-Aqsa Mosque in significant numbers to perform Talmudic rituals in its courtyards, which mostly leads to tensions among Muslim worshipers and Israeli security forces.

Non-Muslim worship at the compound is prohibited according to an agreement between Israel and Jordan following the regime’s seizure of East al-Quds in 1967.

In recent years, tensions have escalated around al-Aqsa Mosque due to increased visits and activities by Israeli settlers, particularly during religious holidays and significant dates in the Jewish calendar.

Hardline Israeli officials and settlers regularly storm the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied city, a provocative move that infuriates Palestinians. Such mass settler break-ins almost always take place at the behest of Tel Aviv-backed far-right groups and under the protection of the Israeli police in al-Quds.

The latest intrusion by Israeli settlers comes as the occupying regime keeps its bloody war machine going in the Gaza Strip, which has left 45,361 Palestinians killed, mostly women and children, since October 7 last year.