West Bank · updated 3h ago · 3 min read
Hundreds of Israeli Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque on Fifth Day of Sukkot
Hundreds of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on the fifth day of Sukkot. The raids were conducted under protection of Israeli occupation police.
How Turkey characterises the cause and needed response.
4 of 5 outlets skipped it: israeli forces blocked a family funeral prayer at Al-Aqsa.
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İlke Haber Ajansı
“Türkiye has strongly condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli extremist groups under the protection of Israeli occupation forces”Read the original ↗
TRT World
“Ankara also reiterated its call on the international community to take deterrent measures against Israeli practices that violate”Read the original ↗
Both condemn, but diferent emphasis on escalation risk versus deterrent measures.
Sukkot incursions at Al-Aqsa
Islamic Waqf Department data put the number of settlers entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the fifth day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday at approximately 700, as hundreds of settlers performed Talmudic rituals and offered sacrifices within the courtyards under Israeli occupation police protection. Moshe Feiglin, described as a former Knesset member, entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and performed Talmudic rituals while Israeli occupation police provided protection. The Islamic Waqf Department said the second day of the holiday saw around 1,500 settlers and rabbis storm the mosque, with the third day rising to about 1,271 led by Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The Jerusalem Governorate said more than 40,661 settlers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque from the beginning of the year through the end of August, and the same source said around 800 ban orders excluding Jerusalemites from the mosque were issued from the start of the year through early September. The Sukkot holiday continued until October 2, as the sources described intensified settler incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque and tightened restrictions on Palestinian movement and access to the Old City and Al-Aqsa.
Numbers and named participants
Roya News said 1,317 settlers stormed the Aqsa Mosque on the fifth day of Sukkot, while it said former Knesset member Moshe Feiglin was among those who entered and performed Talmudic rituals. Saba said the Islamic Waqf Department stated approximately 1,317 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa during the fifth day of Sukkot, and it said the Jerusalem Governorate put the total number of settlers who stormed the courtyards since the beginning of the year at 52,277. Yaffa News Network said around 700 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on the fifth day, and it said Feiglin led the group while carrying what were described as the “Four Species” and performing the Talmudic “Priestly Blessing” prayer ritual.
The sources also described restrictions on Palestinian worshippers, with Yaffa News Network saying the number of orders barring Jerusalem residents from the mosque reached around 800 from the beginning of the year through early September. The accounts placed the incursions under heavy protection from Israeli occupation police and described the Sukkot period as running from September 26 until October 2.
Tensions, restrictions, and diplomacy
Yeni Şafak English said hundreds of Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday to mark Sukkot, performing Talmudic rituals under police protection, and it cited a Jerusalem Islamic Waqf official speaking to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity. İlke Haber Ajansı reported that Türkiye condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli extremist groups under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, and it quoted the Turkish ministry saying, “We condemn in the strongest terms the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli extremist groups under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces,”. TRT World said Türkiye’s foreign ministry accused the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to further inflame regional tensions through violations and provocations targeting Muslim holy sites.T
The sources also described restrictions on Palestinian worshippers, with Yaffa News Network saying Israeli authorities closed the road leading to the Lions’ Gate area and the entrance to the “Al-Turba” road leading to the town of Silwan to secure settlers’ access to the Western Wall. Al-Manar TV Lebanon said the incursions coincided with strict measures imposed by Israeli forces around the mosque and the Old City, limiting worshippers’ access as attempts to impose Jewish religious rituals inside Al-Aqsa continued throughout the holiday season.