During the Jewish New Year, nearly 600 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem under the protection of security forces. at the same time, Palestinian worshippers faced significant access restrictions, including arbitrary age limits and limited entry points.
593 settlers enter Al-Aqsa via the Moroccan Gate
According to the Jerusalem Governorate, a total of 593 illegal settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound through the Moroccan Gate, also known as Bab al-Maghariba, during both morning and afternoon sessions. These incursions took place under the direct protection of Israeli security forces during the Jewish New Year holiday.
These mass visits follow organized calls from extremist Temple groups to perform religious rituals within the holy site. this pattern of entry is part of a long-standing trend; the report notes that Israeli police have facilitated daily settler incursions since 2003, despite ongoing protests from the Jordan-run Islamic Waqf, which maintains administrative custodianship over the mosque.
Age limits and gate restrictions for Palestinian worshippers
While settlers were permitted entry, Palestinian worshippers faced severe limitations on their ability to reach the mosque for dawn prayers on Sunday. The Jerusalem Governorate reported that authorities funneled Palestinian entry exclusively through the Hutta and Chain gates,while checkpoint soldiers imposed arbitrary age limits on those attempting to pass.
The impact of these restrictions has been significant, with hundreds of worshippers prevented from reaching the site and forced to pray at outside gates. This tightening of access is part of a broader enforcement pattern, as the governorate noted that approximately 850 barring orders have been issued against Palestinians since the beginning of the year.
18,000 new housing units planned across the West Bank
The religious tensions at Al-Aqsa Mosque are occurring alongside a massive expansion of Israeli settlement activity in the surrounding territories. as the Palestinian Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission reported on Sunday, Israeli authorities have advanced 153 plans for illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since the start of 2026.
These plans aim to construct more than 18,000 housing units in total, distributed as follows:
- 12,300 units across 100 plans in the occupied West Bank.
- 5,783 units across 53 plans within occupied East Jerusalem.
This surge in construction follows a period of rapid approval under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which has authorized 104 new settlements since late 2022.
The attempt to establish a 'new reality' through religious ritual
A central concern raised by local authorities is the intent behind these organized visits . The Jerusalem Governorate warned that illegal settlers are attempting to use religious rituals to establish a "new reality" that would fundamentally alter the historical and Islamic status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
However, several critical questions remain unanswered by the current reports. It is unclear how the Jordan-run Islamic Waqf intends to escalate its administrative challenges in response to the increasing presence of Temple groups. Furthermore, the specific criteria used by checkpoint soldiers to determine "permitted categories" for Palestinian worshippers remain undisclosed, leaving many to wonder if these restrictions are being applied consistently or arbitrarily.
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