Summary
- JERUSALEM: Around 100 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday under the protection of Israeli security forces, according to Palestinian authorities.
- Visits by Israeli settlers to the Al-Aqsa compound have increased in recent months, particularly during major Jewish religious holidays.
- Tensions around the holy site have also risen following visits by Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
JERUSALEM: Around 100 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday under the protection of Israeli security forces, according to Palestinian authorities.
The Jerusalem Governorate said the group entered the mosque courtyards and carried out Talmudic rituals while Israeli police remained present at the site.
The incident occurred a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, several government ministers and thousands of Israelis gathered at the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem under heavy security.
The latest entry came as the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur was due to begin on Sunday evening and continue until Monday evening.
Visits by Israeli settlers to the Al-Aqsa compound have increased in recent months, particularly during major Jewish religious holidays. Palestinian officials have repeatedly warned against actions they say could alter the longstanding arrangements governing the site.
Under the established arrangements, Muslims are allowed to pray at the compound, while non-Muslim visitors may enter but are not permitted to conduct prayers there.
Tensions around the holy site have also risen following visits by Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. During a visit earlier this week, Ben-Gvir praised Jewish visitors who he said had prayed at the compound, despite the existing arrangements.
His visit drew condemnation from Palestinian officials and Jordan, which has a custodial role connected to the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, located in Jerusalem’s Old City, remains one of the most sensitive religious and political sites in the region. Muslims regard Al-Aqsa as Islam’s third-holiest site, while Jews refer to the wider compound as the Temple Mount and consider it their faith’s most sacred site.
The competing religious claims and repeated visits during sensitive periods have frequently triggered tensions in Jerusalem and across the wider region.
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