1,765 settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque on the third day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday
Hundreds of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday, the third day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem reported that the number of intruders reached 1,765, including 1,148 during the morning incursions period and 617 during the afternoon.
The incursions were led by senior rabbis who led collective and public prayers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque. The number of settlers in a single group exceeded 170, in accordance with prior pledges from the occupation police to extremist Temple groups, with new groups entering every ten minutes and allowing six groups to be present simultaneously inside Al-Aqsa.
During their incursions, the settlers performed all their rituals and prayers for Sukkot, including offering plant sacrifices in the eastern area (citron, myrtle, willow, and palm fronds), in addition to performing public prayers in front of the Dome of the Rock and from various directions.
The raids took place in two shifts: the morning shift, from 7:00 to 11:30 a.m., and the afternoon shift, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m., through the Dung Gate, whose keys have been controlled by the occupation authorities since the occupation of Jerusalem.
The raids turned into mass celebrations, interspersed with singing and dancing inside the mosque's courtyards and corridors.
Settlers inside the mosque raised a banner printed with the Israeli flag and a picture of a soldier killed in Lebanon.
Police provided full protection to the intruders and facilitated the performance of prayers and various religious rituals at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Settlers also held marches and mass prayers outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque gates, waving flags of the alleged "Temple" and carrying plant offerings.
Meanwhile, the occupation authorities continued to impose restrictions on the entry of Muslims to Al-Aqsa Mosque, preventing young men and women from entering during the two incursion periods, and harassing worshippers inside—mostly elderly—by restricting their seating and preventing them from entering certain areas.
Hundreds of thousands of settlers also invaded Al-Buraq Square, performing their prayers and rituals for the Sukkot holiday.
