The holiday season at Al-Aqsa: Over 11,000 settlers and public religious rituals extending from inside the mosque to its surroundings
Over approximately three weeks, Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings saw a rise in incursions and religious rituals during Jewish holidays, from Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur through Sukkot. During this period, the Wadi Hilweh Information Center – Jerusalem recorded 11,692 settlers entering the mosque.
The situation involved more than a rising number of intruders: the incursions also expanded the scope and public visibility of religious practices. These included prayers, hymns, and prostration, as well as dancing, singing, and clapping. They also involved bringing prayer books, religious texts, ritual items, and religious attire into the mosque, culminating in the performance of the Sukkot-associated "Four Species" ritual in its courtyards.
These practices took place in various locations across Al-Aqsa, particularly in the eastern area, including the porticoes, stone terraces, and other parts of Al-Aqsa. They coincided with restrictions on Muslim entry and extensive security measures throughout the Old City and around Al-Aqsa.
On the mosque’s eastern side, the scene seemed spatially connected to events outside its walls, particularly at the Bab al-Rahma Cemetery. Throughout the holiday season, prayers, shofar blowing, and religious rituals were repeatedly performed there, forming a continuous tableau of ritual activity that extended from inside Al-Aqsa to the area around its eastern wall.
Key numbers:
- The total number of settlers who stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holiday season—spanning from Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) through the final recorded incursions on October 1—reached 11,692.
- Rosh Hashanah: 962 settlers (417 on the eve of the holiday and 545 on the Sunday).
- Yom Kippur: 1,649 settlers (963 on the eve of the holiday and 686 on the day of the holiday).
- Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles): 9,081 settlers over the five days monitored by the Center (September 27 to October 1), distributed as follows:
- September 27: 1,500 settlers.
- September 28: 1,780 settlers.
- September 29: 1,438 settlers.
- September 30: 2,468 settlers (the highest daily number during the holiday season).
- October 1: 1,895 settlers.
These numbers reflect a holiday season that began with Rosh Hashanah, continued through Yom Kippur, and culminated in Sukkot. The season peaked during Sukkot, both in the number of intruders and in the religious practices accompanying their incursions into the mosque.
From incursion to ritual: An escalation in the nature of events inside Al-Aqsa
During the holiday season, the incursions increasingly involved overt, collective religious practices. Settlers no longer simply traversed the designated route; they also turned various locations within the mosque into sites for prayer and ritual.
The Center documented public displays of prayer, hymns, and prostration, along with circles of singing, dancing, and clapping. It also recorded groups of intruders lingering in different parts of the mosque for extended periods, with some rituals performed collectively under police protection.
Key practices and rituals observed during the holiday season:
- Performing collective, public prayers within the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards, with the participation of ministers, Knesset members, and rabbis.
- Performing collective, public prostration and conducting group prayers and rituals at multiple locations within the mosque—not just a single spot—spanning the entire route: from the initial entry via the Dung Gate, through the Al-Qibli Prayer Hall courtyard, the roof of the Al-Marwani Prayer Hall, the eastern area, and the northern and western porticoes, concluding with the exit via the Al-Silsileh Gate.
- Standing, praying, and taking photographs in various areas overlooking the Dome of the Rock.
- Chanting hymns and religious songs.
- Engaging in dancing, singing, and clapping circles.
- Lingering for extended periods within the mosque courtyards and along the intrusion route.
- Repeatedly performing rituals in the eastern area.
- Bringing prayer books and papers into the mosque.
- Bringing in and wearing religious attire and shirts bearing images and slogans associated with the so-called "Temple" and advocating for its construction.
- Using the *shofar* (ram's horn) during Jewish New Year rituals.
- Performing the "Four Species" ritual (citron/etrog, palm frond, myrtle branches, and willow branches).
- Repeating rituals along the intrusion route, on stone platforms, and in wooded areas, particularly in the eastern section.
- Raising the Israeli flag inside Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- Allowing the entry of large, successive groups—some exceeding 150 settlers—to facilitate the movement of those storming the site and to record higher numbers during the designated hours.
- Permitting five groups to be present inside the mosque simultaneously.
- Designating an "express route" for those storming the site, extending from Dung Gate to Al-Silsileh Gate, to increase the number of intruders entering Al-Aqsa.
- Extending the duration of these incursions to approximately seven hours, noting that they typically take place in two sessions: morning and afternoon.
Consequently, religious rituals during these incursions grew in scope: rather than remaining individual or brief acts, they became collective, repeated, and public displays involving political figures, rabbis, and prominent members of "Temple" groups.
The Eastern Area: A site cemented for rituals within Al-Aqsa
During the holiday season, the eastern section of the Al-Aqsa Mosque drew particular attention as settler groups repeatedly visited to pray, sing hymns, prostrate themselves, and perform religious rituals, often staying for extended periods.
Groups were repeatedly observed heading to the eastern area to openly perform collective rituals—a scene that went well beyond simply passing along the incursion route. Their repeated visits, prolonged stays, and collective ritual performances showed that the area had become a key, fixed stop on the route during the holidays.
During Sukkot, these practices intensified as the "Four Species” were brought into the mosque and used in its eastern area, while ritual items, books, and prayer sheets were placed on the mosque’s stonework.
The area also saw collective prayers, hymns, dances, and songs, while groups of intruders stayed there for long periods.
Located beside the mosque's eastern wall, near the Bab al-Rahma prayer hall and Dar al-Hadith, the eastern area’s ritual activity forms part of a broader context connected to events just beyond the wall on the opposite side.
From "Kol Nidre" at Al-Aqsa to Sukkot rituals: Public prayers inside the mosque
During Yom Kippur, footage showed a rabbi leading a group of settlers in a public recitation of the "Kol Nidre" prayer inside Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The "Kol Nidre" prayer marks the beginning of Yom Kippur. Its performance inside Al-Aqsa Mosque was one of the season’s most significant religious scenes, marking a shift from mere incursions into the site to the performance within its precincts of a ritual directly linked to a Jewish religious occasion.
Religious practices tied to specific occasions are no longer confined to a single holiday. In recent months, prayers for various events have been observed alongside the daily prayers inside the mosque.
During the Sukkot festival, the scene was repeated on a larger scale through the "Four Species" rituals, which involved the etrog (citron), palm fronds, and myrtle and willow branches, along with prayers, hymns, dancing, singing, and clapping.
Groups of people entering the site were also seen carrying prayer books and sheets, and ritual botanical items were observed in the mosque courtyards.
These practices also drew large groups who lingered in the eastern area and elsewhere in the mosque, reinforcing the collective nature of the rituals performed at Al-Aqsa.
The holiday season: Rituals and political presence
During the holiday season, Israeli political figures joined the incursions, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Knesset members Amit Halevi, Yitzhak Kreuzer, and Zvi Sukkot, along with figures from "Temple" movement groups.
These political figures were present during public religious rituals, creating a scene that brought political and religious presence together within the mosque.
Slogans and images linked to the "Temple" project were also prominent, as was clothing featuring its symbols and slogans.
Al-Aqsa from the inside... and the Bab al-Rahma Cemetery from the outside
The scene extended beyond Al-Aqsa Mosque’s courtyards into the surrounding area, especially the eastern side next to the wall.
While settlers repeatedly prayed, performed rituals, and stayed for prolonged periods in the eastern area inside the mosque, rituals also continued at the Bab al-Rahma Cemetery, alongside Al-Aqsa’s eastern wall.
During the holiday season, Jewish rituals—including prayer and shofar blowing—were repeatedly performed at the cemetery. The rituals culminated in a scene documented at the end of the Sukkot festival, when settlers carried out religious rites in parts of the Bab al-Rahma Cemetery.
In this instance, settlers set up a table inside the cemetery, atop Muslim graves, and placed Torah scrolls on it. They performed religious readings and rituals and brought along the "Four Species" and religious texts.
Thus, spatial continuity emerged between the area inside the mosque and the area outside it:
Inside Al-Aqsa: The eastern area is becoming a frequent site for prayer and rituals.
Outside Al-Aqsa, religious rituals are performed at the Bab al-Rahma Cemetery on certain occasions.
The significance of this scenario lies in these practices occurring simultaneously and repeatedly in two adjacent areas—inside Al-Aqsa and in the cemetery along its eastern wall—broadening the religious landscape around the mosque.
The Al-Buraq Wall: Continuous prayers and widespread participation
Near Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jewish prayers continued throughout the day at the Al-Buraq Wall during the holiday season. The events drew wide participation from Israeli officials, rabbis, and settlers of different backgrounds and ages. Notably, the Israeli Prime Minister participated during Yom Kippur.
Prayers and rituals continued at the site in successive intervals. The Al-Buraq Wall hosted ongoing group prayers and religious ceremonies, coinciding with incursions and rituals inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surrounding area.
The site drew large crowds, with groups and individuals coming to take part in prayers and rituals. The activities were accompanied by strict security measures and a heavy deployment of forces throughout the Old City and at the gates leading to Al-Aqsa.
Restrictions on Muslims: Clearing the area to facilitate incursions
In contrast to the rising number of individuals entering the site and the expansion of their rituals, security forces imposed strict restrictions on Muslim access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holiday season.
These measures included:
- Restricting worshippers' entry to the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the dawn prayer until the hours preceding the afternoon prayer.
- Barring specific age groups from entering the mosque.
- Designating specific seating areas for some worshippers and compelling them to remain inside the covered prayer halls.
- Clearing specific areas of the mosque while settlers performed prayers and rituals.
- Tightening security measures at the mosque’s gates and entrances.
- Removing worshippers from the Al-Aqsa, with expulsion orders issued against dozens of Jerusalemites in recent weeks. Alongside the incursions and rituals, these measures have curtailed the Muslim presence in specific areas and during the times when settlers perform their rituals.
Expulsion: A weapon parallel to incursions
During the holiday season, orders barring individuals from Al-Aqsa Mosque became more frequent. They targeted Jerusalemite figures, worshippers, Waqf employees, activists, and religious leaders.
Since the beginning of the year, hundreds of banishment orders have been issued, according to data from the Wadi Hilweh Information Center. The period leading up to and including the holidays saw orders of varying durations. Some included maps marking restricted zones and extended the ban to the porticoes and pathways leading to the mosque.
Before the holiday, banishment orders ranged from one week to several months. Some were sent via WhatsApp, at times with maps showing areas Jerusalemites were barred from entering.
Many Jerusalemites have received multiple banishment orders, and some face consecutive bans lasting months or even years. As a result, banishment has become a recurring restriction on their access to Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Al-Aqsa and its surroundings: Extensive security measures
The measures extended beyond the mosque’s interior: forces were heavily deployed across the Old City and the area surrounding Al-Aqsa, checkpoints and metal barriers were installed, and roads and entry points were closed to secure settlers’ movement.
These measures included closing roads and pathways leading to the Old City and Al-Aqsa, including Lions' Gate Street and areas near the Bab al-Rahma and Wadi al-Rababeh, as well as tightening security at the mosque's gates.
Additionally, shop owners in the markets around Al-Aqsa were forced to close their businesses during settler incursions, as settlers performed rituals in some nearby markets and surrounding areas.
"The Undeclared Synagogue": What do these shifts signify?
The holiday-season tally shows that events at Al-Aqsa Mosque involved not only an increase in the number of intruders, but also a gradual shift in the nature of the incursions themselves.
The pattern began with entry and movement along a set route, then expanded to include stopping at different locations for prayer, prostration, chanting, dancing, and singing. Religious items, texts, and attire were also introduced, with these practices recurring notably in the eastern area.
As these activities were repeated at the same site and successive groups lingered for extended periods, the eastern area became a primary focal point for religious rituals in the mosque during the holiday season.
Hence the description of the area as an "undeclared synagogue"—a term that characterizes the pattern of activity at a fixed location within the mosque, rather than a legal designation or an official change in the site's function. It refers to the collective, public performance of Jewish prayers and rituals at a specific spot within Al-Aqsa.
The significance lies not in one isolated incident but in the cumulative pattern: the practice is repeated, becomes more public, involves larger groups, recurs at the same location, and is accompanied by police protection and the removal of Muslim worshippers from parts of the mosque.
The record of the 2026 Jewish holiday season shows that the situation at Al-Aqsa Mosque involved more than an increase in the number of intruders. The rituals performed expanded in nature, took place in more locations, and lasted longer inside the mosque.
These practices—including prayer, prostration, and chanting, as well as the introduction of religious texts, prayer sheets, the shofar, and the "Four Species"—were repeated at various sites: the eastern area, the porticoes, the stone platforms, and the area around the Dome of the Rock. Muslim access was restricted throughout.
The phenomenon extended beyond the walls: rituals recurred in the eastern area and Bab al-Rahma Cemetery, while prayers continued at the Al-Buraq Wall. Together, these locations formed a geographically contiguous scene throughout the holiday season.
The significance of these observations lies not in any single incident, but in the accumulation, repetition, and expansion of these practices. Religious rituals are increasingly taking place publicly and collectively at recurring locations in Al-Aqsa and its surroundings. Tracking changes in the nature of these incursions, as well as the number of participants, is therefore essential to understanding what unfolded at the mosque during the 2026 holiday season.
