LONDON: On Monday, a group of Israeli settlers was reported to have vandalized several graves at the Bab Al-Rahma cemetery located near the eastern wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound within the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem.

According to the Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem Governorate, these attacks are part of an ongoing effort by the settlers to claim the area for Talmudic rituals.

Additionally, Israeli authorities have been conducting excavation work in the same area as part of a broader project aimed at constructing a cable car that will encircle the Old City.

The Bab Al-Rahma cemetery spans approximately 1.2 acres and serves as the final resting place for notable companions of Prophet Muhammad, as well as several warriors who were part of the 1187 conquest of Jerusalem.

The Israeli government has proposed to convert a portion of this cemetery into a 'biblical garden' as part of its plan to Judaize the Old City.

According to the governorate, this is another step towards the further ethnic cleansing and erasure of Palestinian history.

The area is distinguished by a gate that was sealed off in the 16th century, providing direct access to Al-Aqsa Mosque from Jerusalem's eastern slopes without having to navigate through the Old City’s alleyways.

Currently, Palestinian Muslims enter the compound through gates on its western and northern sides, while Israeli settlers use the Mughrabi Gate—over which Israel maintains full control.