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The Palestinian News Agency WAFA said Israeli settlers accessed the site through the Moroccan Gate, where they conducted tours and performed religious rituals in the courtyards. Israeli police reportedly closed all gates to the compound to facilitate the entries and increased security measures in the surrounding area. Local sources indicated that the visits were organized in response to calls from Jewish groups seeking to mark the Jewish New Year at the holy site.
According to WAFA, the event formed part of a pattern in which Israeli authorities restrict Palestinian access to Al-Aqsa while allowing settler visits during Jewish holidays. The agency reported that this leads to closures of roads and heightened restrictions on Palestinian movement in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Jerusalemite groups responded by calling for increased Palestinian presence at the mosque to counter the incursions.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, holds immense religious significance for both Muslims and Jews. Muslim authorities oversee the site under a long-standing arrangement that prohibits Jewish prayer there, though visits are permitted. Tensions often rise when large numbers of Jewish visitors enter the compound, particularly on religious occasions.
Al Jazeera reported that more than 4,200 Israelis entered the Al-Aqsa compound on July 23, 2026, during the Tisha B’Av holiday, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
That incident also saw restrictions on Palestinian worshippers, the news outlet said. Such events have become more common in recent years.
The Jordan News Agency reported a similar incursion on June 16, 2026, in which dozens of extremist Jewish settlers entered the site under police protection and performed Talmudic rituals. In that case, the Jerusalem Governorate issued a statement detailing the events and noting continued violations at the holy site. Palestinian officials have documented hundreds of such entries annually.
The Islamic Waqf Department has voiced concerns over these repeated visits, stating they disrupt the sanctity of the Muslim worship site. In previous statements to the Jordan Times, the department highlighted restrictions on Palestinian worshippers at the entrances. Calls for mobilization to protect the site have been renewed by Palestinian groups following each incident.
