West Bank29 September, 20262 min read
Hundreds of Israeli Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque During Sixth Day of Sukkot
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Hundreds of Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque on the sixth day of Sukkot under police protection. Ben-Gvir stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque amid large settler participation during the holiday.
Sixth Day Storms
Hundreds of settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the morning period on Thursday, the sixth day of the Jewish Sukkot festival, as the Palestinian Endowment Department said 1,195 settlers entered the site. The Jerusalem Governorate told Al-Jazeera that more than 10,000 settlers have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque since the start of the Jewish holidays last Saturday.
Hundreds more settlers stormed the Yusuf Shrine east of Nablus under Israeli army protection, and Al Jazeera correspondent Laith Jarrar said more than 36 buses carrying settlers arrived successively at the Yusuf Shrine since hours after midnight. Jarrar added that the Israeli army deployed more than 30 military vehicles to the eastern area of Nablus, imposed a siege on it, and forced several Palestinian families to evacuate their homes until 2:00 PM.
Rituals, Police, and Numbers
800 settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday and performed Jewish rituals inside its courtyards under heavy protection from the Israeli occupation police. 2,474 settlers stormed the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday from the Moroccan Gate, performing rituals and Jewish prayers.
The number of settlers entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the fifth day of Sukkot rose to approximately 700, and former Knesset member Moshe Feiglin performed Talmudic rituals and offered sacrifices in the courtyards under Israeli occupation police protection. 1,317 settlers stormed Aqsa on the fifth day of Sukkot, and Moshe Feiglin entered the Aqsa courtyards with settlers and performed Talmudic rituals while carrying the “Four Species.”
Broader West Bank Pressure
In parallel with the Al-Aqsa incursions, Al-Jazirah Net said Israeli forces raided the eastern area of Nablus and also raided the village of Husan west of Bethlehem, searching several homes without reporting arrests. The West Bank has been witnessing an escalation in raids and arrests by Israeli forces since October 2023, concurrent with rising settler terrorism, movement restrictions, and the closure of entrances to Palestinian towns and villages.
The International Committee of the Red Cross called for immediate protection for residents in the West Bank and an end to the ongoing violence, according to Al-Jazirah Net. Al-Jazirah Net added that the United Nations said more than 6,500 Palestinians have been displaced in the West Bank since 2023 due to settler attacks and Israeli restrictions.