Nearly 600 settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque amid worship restrictions

The Jerusalem Governorate announced on Sunday that 593 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem during morning and afternoon sessions, marking a sharp escalation in incursions as occupation authorities simultaneously restricted Palestinian access during the Jewish New Year holiday. The governorate said the settlers entered through the Dung Gate — known as Bab al-Maghariba — under the protection of Israeli forces, updating an earlier count of 480.

It warned of "growing calls by alleged Israeli Temple groups to impose their religious rituals inside Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Jewish holidays," adding that Israeli occupiers are seeking to impose their rituals "by force" around the mosque and at its gates.

Worship restrictions imposed

Israeli authorities restricted access to the site during dawn prayers to the Hutta and Chain gates only, while imposing undisclosed age restrictions on worshippers. Soldiers stationed at checkpoints refused to specify which age groups were permitted to enter, preventing many from reaching the mosque while forcing a small number who managed to arrive to pray at the gates instead of inside the compound.

The Jerusalem Governorate said the incursions form part of an ongoing escalation targeting the mosque during the Jewish holiday season, which began with Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 12-13 and continues with Yom Kippur on Sept. 21 followed by Sukkot from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2. It noted it had documented around 850 barring orders preventing Palestinians from entering the site since the beginning of the year, warning of attempts to establish "a new reality" and undermine the site's Islamic identity.

Historical context

Since 2003, Israeli police have unilaterally allowed settlers to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound despite repeated objections from the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem. Palestinians maintain that Israel has intensified efforts to Judaize occupied East Jerusalem and erase its Arab and Islamic identity, insisting that the city serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state under international resolutions that do not recognize Israel's 1967 occupation or 1980 annexation of the territory.