According to the Islamic Waqf Department, the number of settlers entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the fifth day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday rose to approximately 700.
Hundreds of settlers, including former Knesset member Moshe Feiglin, performed Talmudic rituals and offered sacrifices within the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli occupation police.
These incursions come amid an ongoing escalation during Sukkot, which from its beginning has seen intensified settler incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, along with Talmudic rituals and prayers inside.
On the second day of the holiday, around 1,500 settlers and rabbis stormed the mosque, performing Talmudic rituals and prayers—particularly near Bab al-Qattanin (Cotton Merchants’ Gate)—while introducing “plant offerings,” chanting, dancing, and holding group rituals in the courtyards.
On the third day, the number of settlers increased to about 1,271, led by Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. They performed Talmudic rituals in the eastern section of Al-Aqsa Mosque under police protection.
On the fourth day, hundreds of settlers entered under heavy security, performing rituals, prayers, collective singing, and clapping inside the courtyards. Meanwhile, assaults against Palestinian residents of Jerusalem were reported near Damascus Gate (Bab al-Amud), alongside tightened restrictions on Palestinian movement and access to the Old City and Al-Aqsa.
The incursions coincided with strict measures imposed by Israeli forces around the mosque and the Old City, limiting worshippers’ access as attempts to impose Jewish religious rituals inside Al-Aqsa continue throughout the holiday season.
According to data from the Jerusalem Governorate, more than 40,661 settlers have entered Al-Aqsa Mosque from the beginning of the year through the end of August. Additionally, around 800 ban orders excluding Jerusalemites from the mosque have been issued from the start of the year through early September.
The Sukkot holiday continues until October 2, part of a broader Jewish holiday season in September that has seen an escalation in incursions and Israeli measures in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Source: Al-Manar English Website