Thousands of Settlers Breach Al-Aqsa Under Police Guard
Israeli forces facilitated the entry of more than 3,000 settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, marking one of the largest such incursions in recent memory. The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department reported that over 1,250 settlers entered during the early morning hours alone, with the total climbing past 3,000 by the end of the day. The incursion coincided with a Jewish commemorative occasion, and access was reportedly restricted for Palestinian worshippers while settler groups moved through the compound in organized waves under tight Israeli police escort.
Ben Gvir Among the Crowds as Provocative Rituals Held Inside the Compound.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir joined the settlers inside the mosque grounds, an act Palestinian officials have repeatedly denounced as a deliberate provocation given his cabinet position overseeing police forces. Witnesses and local reports described groups performing religious prostrations and communal prayers inside the courtyards — rituals that go against the long-standing status quo arrangements governing the holy site, under which non-Muslim prayer is not permitted. The Waqf said the Moroccan Gate, one of the compound’s main entry points for settlers, was temporarily shut following the surge in numbers.
Reactions and Wider Context
The incursion triggered swift condemnation from Palestinian political factions. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine described the events as pouring more fuel on an already volatile situation, framing it as part of a broader pattern of judaization, settlement expansion, and displacement efforts targeting Jerusalem. Other Palestinian officials echoed similar concerns, warning that the scale and frequency of these incursions have been steadily increasing, often timed around Jewish religious anniversaries tied to the ancient Temple.
Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, sits atop what Jews refer to as the Temple Mount, making it one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Under a decades-old arrangement, the Jordanian-run Waqf administers the site and only Muslims are permitted to pray there, while non-Muslim visitors may enter during set hours under Israeli police supervision. Palestinians and rights monitors argue that the growing frequency and scale of settler incursions, often accompanied by government ministers, effectively erode this arrangement and edge toward a de facto change in the site’s religious and legal status. Israeli authorities maintain that visits are conducted within existing rules governing access to the compound.
The events drew renewed international attention to the fragile status of Jerusalem’s holy sites, with Palestinian officials calling on the international community to intervene to halt what they describe as escalating violations at the compound.
