A record 68,944 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem between September 2025 and September 2026, according to data released by the Israeli Temple Mount movement Beyadenu – Returning to the Temple Mount. This new annual record surpasses the previous record of 68,429 set in the preceding Hebrew year. The figures point to accelerating settler access to the Islamic holy site.
The organization Beyadenu recorded the high number of entries despite the compound being closed to settlers for 134 days due to Saturdays, Muslim holidays, and security closures. September recorded the highest monthly figure, with 12,778 entries. On one single day during Tisha B'Av, the Jewish day of mourning marking the destruction of the ancient temples, 4,288 settlers entered the compound.
Beyadenu said the figures reflected growing Jewish interest in the site and called for restrictions on access to be lifted and the compound to be opened more fully to Jewish visitors. The group also highlighted weddings and bar and bat mitzvah celebrations held at the site. This comes as senior Israeli ministers push to loosen restrictions on Jewish worship at the compound.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has backed a request to allow settlers to enter the Al-Aqsa compound on Saturdays. On 3 September, he sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling for the compound to be opened to Jewish visitors on Saturdays, describing access as a basic right and the site as the holiest place for the Jewish people.
The latest figures come amid continuing disputes over access to and activities at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a site sacred to Muslims and also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount. Under a longstanding arrangement, Jordan's Islamic Waqf administers the site, while Israeli occupation forces control access. Palestinian officials say this system has come under strain.
Arab and Muslim states, as well as Palestinian officials and religious authorities, have repeatedly warned that changes to existing arrangements could undermine the site's status quo. Egypt joined seven other Arab and Muslim states in a joint statement in April condemning repeated Israeli violations at Jerusalem's holy sites.
Egypt has condemned Ben-Gvir's past visits, including one incursion it called a "serious escalation" that undermines the site's historic and legal status quo. Egypt also condemned Ben-Gvir over his raising of the Israeli flag inside the mosque's courtyards during an earlier incursion, describing the act as a provocation to Muslims worldwide and a violation of Jerusalem's historic status quo.
Key points
- A record 68,944 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem between September 2025 and September 2026.
- The compound was closed to settlers for 134 days due to Saturdays, Muslim holidays, and security closures.
- National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has backed a request to allow settlers to enter the Al-Aqsa compound on Saturdays.
