1,143 Israelis Enter Al-Aqsa Compound Under Police Guard as Muslim Worshippers Face Restrictions, Palestinians Say
Palestinian officials say access restrictions tightened as visitors performed prayers and rituals, deepening disputes over the site’s status quo.
- On Sunday, more than 1,100 Israelis entered the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under heavy police protection during the second day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
- The compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and Muslims as Al-Aqsa Mosque, traditionally prohibits prayer by non-Muslims; recent changes allowing Jewish rituals have drawn criticism from Palestinian and Jordanian officials regarding the historic status quo.
- Between January and August 2026, 40,661 settlers entered the site, while the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported 11,074 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers across the West Bank during the first half of the year.
- Egypt condemned the restrictions on Muslim worshippers and escalating incursions, while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for expanding military operations in the West Bank, which Palestinian officials warned aims to undermine an independent Palestinian state.
- Hamas political bureau member Khaled Meshaal warned these actions are "paving the way for total control and domination over the site," citing concerns regarding the "imposition of temporal division" and urging Arab and Muslim-majority countries to act.
33 Articles
33 Articles
1,143 Israelis Enter Al-Aqsa Compound Under Police Guard as Muslim Worshippers Face Restrictions, Palestinians Say
More than 1,100 Israelis entered Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa compound during Sukkot under heavy police protection, while Palestinian officials reported restrictions on Muslim worshippers and renewed concerns over the site's status quo.
Breaking news - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it strongly condemns the raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli extremist groups. A written statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "Israeli extremist groups, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, raided Al-Aqsa Mosque..."
Egypt rejects Israeli calls to expand West Bank operations; Smotrich urges Gaza-style war
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned in a statement the continued Israeli escalation in the occupied West Bank and repeated incursions by settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of Israeli police.
More than 1,100 Israeli occupiers force their way into Al-Aqsa complex on Sunday
On Sunday, Jordan and Egypt condemned the Israeli actions in the West Bank against the Palestinians, the continued settler incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque and the accompanying provocations and Israeli statements, under the strict protection of the occupation police.
Egypt condemned Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's statement that "they should wage a new war and replicate the destruction they are doing in Gaza in the occupied West Bank, eliminating the Palestinian Authority," and called for an end to unilateral escalating actions.
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