Thousands of Settlers Perform Banned Religious Rituals Across Al-Aqsa

Thousands of Jewish settlers, under heavy Israeli police protection, entered the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday, performing religious rituals in areas historically reserved for Muslims. The incursions, which included raising Israeli flags and singing the national anthem near the main mosque and the Dome of the Rock, were described as unprecedented by the Islamic Waqf Department in occupied East Jerusalem.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led some of the groups, while Likud lawmaker Amit Halevi led others. The Israeli police reportedly increased the permitted number of settlers per group to around 150, significantly up from a previous limit of 30, in an apparent effort to expand these incursions. This occurred amidst tight restrictions imposed by Israeli forces at the mosque's gates and entrances to Jerusalem's Old City, which was described as a military barracks.

Palestinian worshippers faced restrictions, including being prevented from entering, searched, having their identification checked, and in some instances, being treated violently. The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate labeled Ben-Gvir's entry as a dangerous escalation and a violation of the site's historical and legal status quo. They warned that these actions signal attempts to impose new realities within the mosque and called for international intervention, emphasizing Al-Aqsa's exclusive status as a Muslim place of worship.

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The entire Al-Aqsa compound is exclusively a Muslim place of worship.

The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments also condemned the incursion, viewing the increased visits and rituals as a strategy to impose a temporal and spatial division of the compound. So-called Temple groups had intensified their mobilization ahead of the anniversary of the temples’ destruction, aiming to set a new record for settler numbers in a single day, surpassing the approximately 4,000 recorded the previous year. These groups circulated schedules and routes, urging supporters to participate and renewing calls to build a purported temple in Al-Aqsa's place.

Despite the occasion traditionally being a day of mourning, organizers reportedly acted with arrogance and violence, denying Palestinian and Muslim rights. In response, Palestinian groups called for worshippers to gather and maintain a presence at Al-Aqsa. The mosque's preacher, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, warned that Israeli authorities are exploiting Jewish religious occasions to expand incursions and alter the status quo, using political cover from ministers and Knesset members.

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Israeli authorities were exploiting Jewish religious occasions to expand incursions and alter the status quo under political cover from ministers and Knesset members.