Settler Incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque Intensify Ahead of Hanukkah
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Dozens of settlers, protected by Israeli police, entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday, performing provocative tours and Talmudic rituals. These incursions are escalating ahead of the Hanukkah holiday, with extremist groups calling for increased entries. Sheikh Akram Sabri warned of unprecedented dangers to the mosque's identity due to these actions, which he described as a systematic aggression. Palestinian calls continue for increased presence at Al-Aqsa to resist changes to its Islamic character.
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- Dozens of settlers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday, performing provocative tours and Talmudic rituals under Israeli police protection.
- Extremist groups are calling for increased settler incursions into Al-Aqsa ahead of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
- Sheikh Akram Sabri warned of unprecedented dangers to Al-Aqsa's religious, historical, and Arab identity from ongoing violations.
- Settler entries into Al-Aqsa have increased during Jewish holidays in recent years, with over 1,026 recorded last week.
- Al-Aqsa has become a tool in Israeli electoral politics, used by far-right parties for voter attraction, according to Sabri.
- Palestinian calls urge increased presence at Al-Aqsa to counter attempts to alter its Islamic identity and status.
Dozens of settlers, escorted by Israeli police, entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday through the Maghrebi Gate, conducting provocative tours and Talmudic rituals. The Islamic Waqf department in occupied Jerusalem reported that settlers performed rituals, including "epic prostration," near the Dome of the Rock under police protection. Meanwhile, Israeli forces imposed strict measures at the mosque's entrances, confiscating worshipers' IDs and restricting access, while hundreds have been banned from the site. Over 1,026 settlers had previously entered the compound in the past week.
These incursions coincide with calls from extremist Temple Mount groups to mobilize settlers for further entries and rituals during the upcoming Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which falls between December 4th and 12th. These groups are intensifying their campaigns to exploit the holiday, aiming to expand incursions and introduce Jewish religious practices into the mosque in an effort to alter its Islamic identity and establish new realities on the ground. Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, lasts eight days and commemorates the Maccabees' victory and the rededication of the Second Temple.
Statistics indicate a rise in settler entries during this period, with 2,567 in 2024 and 2,779 in 2025, reflecting an increase linked to Jewish holidays. Sheikh Akram Sabri, the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, warned of unprecedented dangers to the mosque, describing the ongoing violations as a systematic aggression threatening its religious, historical, and Arab identity. He stated that the mosque is facing one of its most dangerous phases due to repeated incursions and provocative actions, often involving Israeli officials, particularly during recent Jewish holiday seasons.
Sabri noted that Al-Aqsa has become a focal point in Israeli electoral politics, with far-right parties using it to attract voters and gain political leverage. These developments are accompanied by continued attempts to impose temporal and spatial division within the mosque through intensified incursions and rituals. Palestinian calls persist for increased presence and steadfastness at Al-Aqsa to counter attempts to change its reality and Islamic identity.
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