Nearly 4,000 Israeli Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in a Week
The Palestinian Shehab News Agency reported that settler groups intensified their incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound over the past week, performing provocative acts and holding Talmudic rituals in its courtyards in violation of the status quo.
According to the Ma’ati Palestinian Information Center, October 2025 saw a sharp rise in violations in occupied al-Quds, with 408 recorded incidents involving Israeli forces and settlers.
Among these were 25 documented assaults on the Al-Aqsa compound, during which a total of 18,963 settlers entered the site.
The center said the surge in incursions coincided with Jewish holidays, often a period of heightened tensions around the mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.
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Thirty-five Palestinians were injured during raids and settler attacks last month. Israeli authorities also issued four expulsion orders, arrested 33 Palestinians, and carried out 94 separate attacks.
The report recorded 30 settlement-related assaults or expansion activities, 21 cases of house and property demolitions, and 17 instances of property confiscation.
Israeli forces further imposed 65 movement restrictions and checkpoints, 42 raids on homes, and 40 shooting incidents, including attacks targeting journalists.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque remains a flashpoint of tension, with repeated settler incursions under police escort often triggering clashes and international condemnation.
Under the 1994 Wadi Araba Treaty between Jordan and Israel, Jordan maintains custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in al-Quds. This role was reaffirmed in a 2013 agreement between Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, placing Al-Aqsa Mosque under the administration of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, overseen by Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs, and Holy Places.
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While Jewish visitors were historically allowed to visit the compound with the Waqf’s permission, Israel's unilateral policies have increasingly sidelined the Waqf’s authority.
Despite Israeli claims that the historic status quo—allowing only Muslims to worship at Al-Aqsa while others may visit—is upheld, video evidence has frequently shown Jewish settlers performing prayers and religious rituals under police protection during such visits.
Palestinians have long warned of Israeli occupation policies to Judaize the site as some hardline Jewish groups have called for destroying the mosque and building a temple instead.
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