Zein Khalil and Serdar Dincel
27 September 2026•Update: 27 September 2026
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the Al-Buraq Wall of the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday to mark the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and performed Talmudic rituals at the site under heavy security.
The intrusion was shown in a video clip broadcast by the local Hebrew radio station Kol Barama on the US social media company X.
The video shows Ben-Gvir accompanied by dozens of occupiers as they reached the Al-Buraq Wall (Western Wall), the western portion of Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, which for Muslims represents the world’s third holiest site. Jews call the area the “Temple Mount,” claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Ben-Gvir, leader of the Otzma Yehudit party, performed Talmudic rituals at the site and held up a large Torah scroll.
More than 1,000 Israeli occupiers forced their way into the flashpoint site on Sunday to mark the second day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).
In a statement, the Jerusalem Governorate reported that 1,143 occupiers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in successive groups via the Mughrabi Gate during morning hours.
Al-Aqsa Mosque has seen an escalation in occupier incursions since the beginning of the Jewish holidays this month amidst tight security measures across East Jerusalem.
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 on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the Israeli army and occupiers have also stepped up attacks in the West Bank, killing over 1,206 Palestinians, injuring more than 13,300, and arresting nearly 26,000, according to Palestinian figures.