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Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Buraq Wall area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday to mark the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and performed Talmudic rituals under heavy security, according to the local Hebrew radio station Kol Barama.
Video broadcast by Kol Barama on the US social media platform “X” showed Ben-Gvir accompanied by dozens of Israeli settlers as they reached the Al-Buraq Wall, also known as the Western Wall. The wall forms the western side of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Ben-Gvir, who leads the Otzma Yehudit party, was shown holding a large Torah scroll during the visit. Muslims regard Al-Aqsa as the third-holiest site in Islam, while Jews refer to the area as the “Temple Mount” and claim it was the location of two ancient Jewish temples.
More than 1,000 settlers enter compound
More than 1,000 Israeli settlers entered the site on Sunday to mark the second day of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement that 1,143 settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in successive groups through the Mughrabi Gate during the morning.
Incursions into the compound have intensified since the beginning of the Jewish holidays this month, amid tight security measures across East Jerusalem.
West Bank violence since October 2023
The Jewish holidays began with Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 12 and 13, followed by Yom Kippur on Sept. 21 and 22. Sukkot runs from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2, followed by Simchat Torah on Oct. 3.
Since Israel began its war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have also intensified attacks in the West Bank. Palestinian figures cited in the report say more than 1,206 Palestinians have been killed, over 13,300 injured and nearly 26,000 arrested.
