Hundreds of Israelis storm Al-Aqsa complex to celebrate Sukkot

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Hundreds of Israeli settlers continued Wednesday to force their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to mark the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

The Jordan-run Islamic Waqf Department, which oversees holy sites in Jerusalem, said in a statement that 776 settlers stormed the flashpoint site since early morning.

According to eyewitnesses, right-wing member of Knesset (Israel’s Parliament), Itamar Ben-Gvir, was among those who visited the site.

Israeli settlers are marking the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, a week-long festival which began on Monday.

On Tuesday, 1,519 settlers visited the Al-Aqsa complex to celebrate the festival, according to the Islamic Waqf Department.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Since 2003, Israel has allowed settlers into the compound almost daily.

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.

* Ikram Imane Kouachi in Ankara contributed to this report