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The Islamic Waqf Department reported that more than 280 settlers entered the site in successive groups through the Mughrabi Gate where they performed Talmudic rituals in the courtyards. Israeli police sealed the compound’s external gates during the visits to secure the area and limit entry for others. The department described the tours as provocative in a statement that detailed the morning incursions.
Palestinian news agency WAFA carried the Waqf account and noted that the police presence enabled the visits while barring many Muslim worshippers from accessing the site at the same time. Such coordinated entries have occurred regularly at the compound which Muslims revere as Al-Aqsa and Jews regard as the Temple Mount. WAFA has followed these events as part of its ongoing coverage of Jerusalem developments.
WAFA reported that since the outbreak of the war in Gaza on October 7 2023 more than 68,000 settlers have entered the compound under police escort. The agency has compiled the cumulative total from its daily dispatches on access to the holy site. Palestinian officials have cited the trend in statements addressing tensions at the location.
Jordan maintains custodianship over Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem including Al-Aqsa under a longstanding arrangement. Israeli authorities have stated that the visits follow established procedures and do not alter the existing framework at the compound. Local Palestinian groups have objected to the scale and frequency of the entries.
In parallel developments Israeli forces imposed age limits on Palestinian entrants during the hours of the settler visits. The restrictions affected students and younger residents seeking to reach the mosque for prayer or study. Witnesses described reduced Palestinian presence in the area as a direct result of the measures.
United Nations monitors have tracked broader patterns of access disputes and related incidents across occupied territories in recent years. Palestinian authorities have called for adherence to the historical status quo at the site. The compound has remained a point of friction amid competing claims and periodic escalations.
