The al-Aqsa mosque seen from the sky on Sept. 28, 2026, as Israelis pray in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City. (Credit: Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters)
The Palestinian Authority warned Monday of a "serious escalation" in Jerusalem’s Old City, where around 1,731 Israelis stormed the al-Aqsa mosque compound for the third consecutive day, alongside Israeli far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
They entered the esplanade to perform rituals and Talmudic prayers under the escort of Israeli security forces on the third day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The forces also closed several routes providing access to the site for visitors and Palestinian worshippers.
The previous day, 1,143 Israelis had entered al-Aqsa, the third-holiest site in Islam, through al-Maghariba Gate overlooking the Western Wall, where Jewish worshippers hold prayers during the religious festival, Wafa reported.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, warned Monday of "the seriousness of the systematic Israeli escalation targeting occupied East Jerusalem and its holy sites," describing it as a "blatant violation of the historical and legal status quo" in the holy city.
"These incursions by extremist settlers and Israeli government ministers into the al-Aqsa mosque are a doomed attempt to impose new realities, which will confer no legitimacy on the occupation," he said.
Also present on the esplanade Monday, National Security Minister Ben-Gvir declared that Israel was now "master of the Temple Mount," the name Jews use for the hilltop where al-Aqsa mosque stands.
"Hamas wanted to defeat us. They called it 'Al-Aqsa Deluge.' Today, we are the masters of the Temple Mount," he said, adding that Israel was "on the path to total victory."
Smotrich called on Monday to "go to war in Judea-Samaria," the Israeli term for the occupied West Bank, and "do there what we have done in Gaza," where Israel has launched a war since October 2023 that many international experts and jurists have described as genocide.
Smotrich also called to "dismantle the Palestinian Authority," which he described as a "terrorist authority." He said he wanted to see no more "terrorists, weapons [or] tunnels" in the occupied West Bank, according to comments reported by the Israeli news outlet Ynet.
In the same statement, he also reaffirmed that he wanted to see Israel annex territory "from the yellow line in Gaza up to the Litani River in Lebanon."
According to the Jerusalem Governorate, 40,661 Israelis entered al-Aqsa mosque compound from the beginning of the year through the end of August. Israeli authorities also issued about 800 entry bans against Palestinians from Jerusalem over the same period, Wafa reported.
