700 Israelis Enter Al-Aqsa Compound During Sukkot Under Police Escort
About 700 Israelis entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on September 30, 2026, under Israeli police protection.
The figure comes from Jerusalem's Islamic Waqf Department, the Jordan-backed Islamic trust that manages the site and monitors access. It said the entry took place on the fifth day of Sukkot, the week-long Jewish harvest festival, and included former lawmaker Moshe Feiglin. The Waqf account was carried by Al Jazeera.
A separate entry took place on the Tuesday before September 30. In that incident, 966 Israelis entered the compound through the Moroccan Gate alongside Israeli police. They performed rituals and sang in the courtyards. Police controlled movement around the site.
On September 30, Israeli authorities closed the road leading to the Lions' Gate area and the entrance to al-Turba Road leading to Silwan. The stated purpose was to ease Israelis' access to the Western Wall, the Jewish prayer site below the compound. The closures affected Palestinian movement in adjacent parts of the Old City and Silwan during the holiday visits.
Sukkot in 2026 runs from September 26 to October 2, followed by Simchat Torah on October 3. The festival period often brings increased visits by Jewish groups to the compound and the Western Wall, with heavy police deployment and parallel restrictions on Palestinian access.
The September 30 entries followed other entries during the same holiday week. On September 28, illegal Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under the protection of Israeli police during Sukkot, according to Reuters.
Petra, Jordan's news agency, reported on September 13 from occupied Jerusalem and Ramallah that dozens of illegal extremist Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Its archive also lists a report titled '458 Israeli Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Compound' dated September 21, 2026, and a report titled 'Illegal Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque as Israeli forces detain 20 Palestinians in occupied West Bank' dated August 31, 2026.
On March 16, 2026, Muslim worshippers prayed in the streets outside the Al-Aqsa mosque after Israel shut access to the mosque, according to Reuters. On September 17, Israeli settlers set fire to olive groves in the town of Burqa in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to Palestinians. On April 16, 2022, Morocco condemned an Israeli raid on Al-Aqsa mosque, saying the escalation undermines peace efforts.
The broader context here explains why the timing matters. The compound sits where religious observance, policing, and custodial administration meet. Entries organized around Jewish holidays, under police escort through the Moroccan Gate, with ritual activity in the courtyards, tend to test the informal understandings about non-Muslim visits and Muslim worship. Like a daily logbook, the Waqf's counts have become the reference point for diplomats tracking scale. Israeli police statements tend to frame the operation as maintenance of public order and freedom of access.
Looking to the days ahead, the calendar is the variable to watch. With Sukkot continuing through October 2 and Simchat Torah following on October 3, the potential for further large entries, additional road closures, and confrontations over access stays elevated. For external actors, particularly regional states with a stated stake in Jerusalem, the sequence of numbers from September 13, September 21, September 28, September 29 and September 30 will shape protests and public messaging. The question is not only how police manage the remaining holiday days, but whether escort practices and access restrictions become normal in the next cycle.
