Nearly 600 illegal Israeli settlers have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, as Israeli authorities imposed strict access restrictions on Palestinian worshippers during the Jewish New Year, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
The governorate stated that 593 illegal settlers entered the holy site through the Moroccan Gate (Bab al-Maghariba) during morning and afternoon sessions under the direct protection of Israeli security forces.
In a separate statement, the governorate reported that Israeli authorities restricted Palestinian access to Al-Aqsa Mosque during dawn prayers on Sunday, funnelling entry exclusively through the Hutta and Chain gates.
Forces also imposed arbitrary age limits, while checkpoint soldiers refused to specify permitted categories, preventing hundreds from reaching the mosque and forcing many to pray at outside gates.
The incursions follow organised calls by Israeli extremist Temple groups to carry out mass visits and perform religious rituals inside the compound during the holiday season.
The governorate warned that illegal settlers are seeking to impose rituals by force to establish a "new reality" and alter the historical and Islamic status of the site, noting that roughly 850 barring orders have been issued against Palestinians since the beginning of the year.
Since 2003, Israeli police have unilaterally facilitated daily illegal settler incursions despite ongoing protests by the Jordan-run Islamic Waqf, which holds exclusive administrative custodianship over the holy site.
Settlement expansion accelerates
The Al-Aqsa incursions coincide with a sharp acceleration in illegal settlement activity.
The Palestinian Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission reported on Sunday that Israeli authorities have advanced 153 plans for illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, since the beginning of 2026, targeting the construction of more than 18,000 housing units.
The commission noted that 100 plans involve 12,300 housing units across the occupied West Bank, while 53 plans target 5,783 units within occupied East Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has approved 104 new illegal settlements since late 2022, compounding the displacement of Palestinians across territory occupied since 1967.
