The illegal settlers reportedly performed Talmudic rituals under the protection of Israeli police.
Scores of illegal Israeli Jewish settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
According to the Anadolu news agency, the illegal settlers performed Talmudic rituals at the flashpoint site under the protection of Israeli police. The eight-day Hanukkah holiday is marked from December 14 to 22.
Illegal Israeli settlers broke into the Al Aqsa Mosque compound under the protection of Israeli occupation forces during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah pic.twitter.com/R7iTt0QlK5
— TRT World (@trtworld) December 15, 2025
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.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.
Other Religious Sites Stormed
Elsewhere on Monday morning, illegal Jewish settlers stormed Islamic religious sites in the town of Awarta, southeast of Nablus, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
The agency cited security and local sources as having said that Israeli occupation forces stormed the village and forced shop owners to close their businesses before several buses carrying hundreds of illegal settlers arrived. The illegal settlers stormed the religious sites, where they performed Talmudic rituals, the report stated.
Israeli Soldiers Shoot Settler near Kedumim after Assuming He Was Palestinian
On Sunday night, illegal settlers attacked the village of Khan al-Ahmar, east of occupied Jerusalem, opening fire toward Palestinian homes, according to WAFA. No injuries were reported.
According to WAFA, violence from illegal settlers against Palestinians and their properties has dramatically increased since Israel launched its genocidal assault on Gaza in October 2023.
In a landmark opinion in July last year, 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.
(PC, Anadolu, WAFA)
