Thousands of Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque During Jewish Holidays

On Sunday, hundreds of Israeli settlers, under heavy Israeli police protection, entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. The incursions coincided with the Jewish holiday season, particularly the week-long Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).

The Waqf Department reported that groups of settlers entered the mosque's courtyards through the Mughrabi Gate, conducting tours and performing Talmudic rituals. Israeli forces intensified security measures around the mosque and the Old City, restricting Palestinian movement and access to the site.

These break-ins have escalated during the Jewish holidays, with settler groups calling for increased settler entries and religious observances within the compound. On the second day of Sukkot, 1,143 settlers reportedly entered the Al-Aqsa compound during morning hours, escorted by Israeli forces via the Mughrabi Gate. Organizations referred to as "Temple Mount groups" indicated that hundreds more settlers were awaiting entry.

During these mass entries, which included groups from Gush Etzion settlements and students from a religious school, Israeli police briefly detained five settlers near the Chain Gate after they recited prayers. September saw previous incursions, including 480 settlers on September 13 during Rosh Hashanah and approximately 100 on September 20 during Yom Kippur.

According to data from the Jerusalem Governorate, a total of 40,661 settlers had entered Al-Aqsa since the beginning of 2026 until the end of August. The Governorate warned that the exploitation of the holiday season to impose new realities at Al-Aqsa, coupled with police-escorted entries and permitted rituals, aims to alter the site's historical and legal status. The current Jewish holiday season, spanning from September to early October, includes Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, during which Israeli measures in the Old City and around Al-Aqsa are heightened, facilitating settler incursions while restricting Palestinian access.