Dozens of Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday morning, the seventh and final day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday, under heavy protection from Israeli occupation forces, Palestinian sources reported.

The settlers entered the mosque through the Mughrabi Gate, conducting provocative tours of the compound’s courtyards and performing Talmudic rituals, actions widely condemned by Palestinian residents as violations of Islamic sanctities.

Local sources highlighted that the incursions occurred in groups, accompanied by a significant presence of Israeli police, who facilitated the settlers’ movements while restricting the entry of Jerusalemites to the mosque. Many worshippers were prevented from accessing the holy site due to tightened security measures imposed by the occupation.

The mass incursions follow calls from extremist so-called “Temple Groups” to carry out large-scale operations inside Al-Aqsa throughout the Sukkot holiday. Such actions are part of a broader pattern in which the occupation authorities exploit Jewish religious occasions to impose collective punishments on Palestinians, including closing checkpoints, restricting movement, and obstructing access to holy sites.

Israeli forces also continue to support settler incursions into other Palestinian cities and sacred sites, including the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and archaeological sites across the West Bank, further inflaming tensions and undermining Palestinian religious and cultural rights.

Palestinian officials and local leaders condemned the incursions as deliberate attempts to undermine Palestinian presence in Jerusalem and desecrate Islamic sites, calling on the international community to hold Israel accountable for systematic violations of religious freedoms and human rights.

The latest incursion underscores the ongoing occupation policies that prioritize settler agendas over Palestinian rights, particularly during periods of heightened religious significance, and highlights the persistent challenges faced by Palestinians in defending their holy sites. (ILKHA)