JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

Hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday to celebrate the Jewish New Year, a Palestinian official said.

An official with the Islamic Waqf Authority, who asked not to be named, told Anadolu that the settlers entered the holy site in two groups, in the morning and again after the noon prayer, under the protection of Israeli police.

Witnesses said the groups carried out religious rituals, including prayers and dances, in the eastern section of the mosque courtyard. The incursions were conducted through the Moroccan Gate on the mosque’s western side.

The Jewish New Year celebrations began on Monday and will continue until Wednesday. On the first day, more than 400 illegal settlers entered the compound, the Waqf official noted.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israeli authorities have allowed settler groups to enter the Al-Aqsa compound under police escort since 2003. Palestinians view these incursions as part of a broader effort to Judaize East Jerusalem and erase its Arab and Islamic character.

They stress that East Jerusalem remains the capital of their future state, in line with international resolutions that reject Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967 and its annexation in 1980.

Since October 2023, at least 1,042 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.