Over 1,200 Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Amid Tightened Palestinian Access
Israeli police facilitate settler rituals at the holy site while banning hundreds of Palestinians from entering during the Jewish holiday season.
More than one thousand Israeli settlers invaded the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque over the past week. They acted under heavy protection from Israeli police forces in occupied Jerusalem. This surge coincides with the beginning of major Jewish religious holidays this month.
Jerusalem sources confirmed that settlers performed public prayers and Talmudic rituals during these incursions. These actions included prostration, a practice banned under the historic status quo agreement. Israeli police maintained tight restrictions on Palestinian access to facilitate these tours.
Security forces secured specific routes for the settlers through the compound. They forcibly removed Muslim worshippers from their path to clear the way. The eastern area was emptied to allow tours starting at Bab al-Maghariba and ending at Bab al-Silsila.
The escalation aligns with the start of Rosh Hashanah on September 12–13. Yom Kippur and Sukkot will follow later this month. Ziad Ibhais, an expert on Jerusalem affairs, warned that Temple groups seek to expand permitted worship forms inside the mosque compound.
These groups push for changes to the legal status quo governing Al-Aqsa. Under current rules, the Islamic Waqf administers the site while non-Muslims may visit but not pray. Far-right Israeli figures, including Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have backed these efforts politically.
Israeli authorities intensified restrictions on Palestinian access simultaneously. The Jerusalem Governorate documented fifteen orders banning Palestinians from the mosque in early September alone. This number compares to twenty-three bans issued during July and August combined, showing a sharp increase.
New orders brought the total documented since the beginning of 2026 to eight hundred. Most involved Al-Aqsa and targeted figures like Sharia Judge Eyad Abbasi. The Governorate warned this is a systematic policy to reduce Palestinian presence at the holy site.
Palestinian officials warn that changing the status quo could escalate tensions further. Recent figures show forty thousand six hundred sixty-one settlers stormed Al-Aqsa from January to August. This pressure underscores the growing challenge to the historic arrangements protecting the site.