Occupied Jerusalem (Palestine Foundation Information Center), According to figures released by the Islamic Waqf Department in occupied Jerusalem, 2,468 Jewish settlers stormed the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday, the fifth day of the so-called Jewish festival of Sukkot. During the incursions, the performance of religious rituals in public intensified, while strict restrictions were imposed on the entry of Palestinian worshippers.
The latest figures are part of a continuing wave of incursions during the Jewish holiday season, which has ranged from an increase in the number of settlers entering the mosque to the expansion of religious activities inside its courtyards. Jerusalem institutions have warned that such measures are being used to impose new realities at the mosque and alter its historical status.
According to the Jerusalem Governorate, group prayers, singing circles, chants, and religious rituals continued in the eastern part of Al-Aqsa during the holiday days. At the same time, Palestinian worshippers were subjected to restrictions and prevented from entering the mosque during the periods of the settlers’ incursions.
Video footage documented former Knesset member Moshe Feiglin performing rituals in the eastern part of Al-Aqsa using the four species associated with the Sukkot festival, in a ritual known as the “Four Species” ceremony.
The measures imposed by the occupying authorities also extended to the vicinity of the Old City, where authorities closed the road leading toward the Bab al-Asbat area and the entrance to the road leading to Silwan, in an effort to secure settlers’ access to the Buraq Wall.
The previous days also witnessed large-scale incursions. On Sunday morning, 1,143 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa and, according to the Waqf Department and the Jerusalem Governorate, brought in the so-called plant offerings and performed prayers, religious rituals, and collective prostrations.
Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa on Monday for the second consecutive day during the ongoing incursions and performed Talmudic rituals, adding a direct government presence to the provocative activities witnessed inside the courtyards.
Warnings from Jerusalem institutions have focused on concerns that repeatedly carrying out such practices under the protection of Israeli security forces could turn them into permanent arrangements that may later be accepted as an established reality at the expense of the Islamic Waqf’s authority and Muslims’ freedom of worship.
Despite objections from the Islamic Waqf Department and its repeated calls for an end to such incursions since 2003, the occupying authorities continue to allow settlers to enter the mosque under security protection. The incursions become particularly intense during Jewish holidays, when settler-supporting groups mobilize their supporters to participate.
The so-called Sukkot festival began on September 26 and will continue until October 2, leaving Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surrounding areas facing further days of incursions and heightened restrictions.
The significance of today’s figure extends far beyond the number itself. The rising number of settlers and repeated public rituals coincide with continued pressure on Palestinian presence at Al-Aqsa and efforts to establish practices that Jerusalem institutions warn are aimed at gradually altering the realities on the ground.
