Netanyahu enters Western Wall plaza with thousands of Israelis, including ministers

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with thousands of Israelis, including government officials and ministers, entered the Western Wall area in occupied East Jerusalem early on Sunday, the Jerusalem Governorate of Palestine said. The governorate said the group entered the plaza after passing through Wadi Street in the Old City, as Israeli groups called for prayers and religious rituals near the Gate of Mercy, one of the entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard. The governorate said large numbers of Palestinians were also in the area to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque and shop in the Old City. Israeli groups had called on supporters to gather near the Gate of Mercy for Selichot prayers ahead of the Jewish holiday. Selichot are communal prayers in the days leading up to Yom Kippur in the autumn. The governorate said Israeli police have unilaterally allowed Israeli groups to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard since 2003. People gather at the Western Wall Plaza in Jerusalem’s Old City during Jerusalem Day, 26 May 2025 (Menahem Kahana/AFP)