Hundreds of Israeli Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque Complex

Sukkot is a weeklong holiday that began on September 29 and will conclude on October 6, following the observance of the Rosh Hashanah (New Year) holiday on September 15.

The Islamic Waqf Department reported that 1,142 Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli police, gained access to the complex through the Al-Mughrabi Gate. Some of the settlers conducted tours of the mosque's courtyards and attempted to perform "Talmudic rituals," an anonymous official stated.

Israeli police also clashed with Muslim worshipers on the roads leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, preventing them from entering. Two Palestinian women were reportedly detained.

In a similar move, Israel closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil) for the same holiday, allowing Israeli settlers access to the site. Ghassan Al-Rajabi, the director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, confirmed the closure, stating that the mosque is typically closed to Muslims for 10 days each year during various Jewish holidays.

The Ibrahimi Mosque complex in Hebron is revered by both Muslims and Jews and is believed to be the burial site of the prophets Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Following a 1994 massacre of 29 Palestinian worshipers by a Jewish extremist settler named Baruch Goldstein, the Israeli authorities divided the mosque complex between Muslim and Jewish worshipers.

This incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex is not the first of its kind, as Israeli police began allowing settler visits to the site in 2003, despite condemnation from Palestinians.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque holds significant religious importance for Muslims, while Jews refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque is situated, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and subsequently annexed the entire city in 1980, a move that has never been recognized by the international community.