By Middle East Correspondent
LONDON, (The Muslim News): A total of 11,409 illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday season, while Israeli forces continued attacks in Gaza and illegal Israeli settlers intensified violence against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, Palestinian authorities said.
Al-Aqsa sees record settler incursions
The Jerusalem Governorate said on Friday, October 2, that 593 illegal Israeli settlers entered the compound on September 13, followed by 1,678 on September 20 and 21.
The largest number — 9,138 — entered during the first five days of Sukkot, from September 27 to October 1.
The governorate said the incursions increasingly involved public religious rituals by Israeli ministers, rabbis, officials and political figures, including far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Zehut party leader Moshe Feiglin and Rabbi Yehuda Glick.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also took part in religious rituals at the Al-Buraq Wall, it said.
Reported practices inside the compound included collective prayers, prostration, chanting, dancing, singing, clapping and the blowing of a horn, with participants carrying prayer books and wearing religious clothing and shirts associated with the so-called “Temple”.
Under the longstanding status quo, Al-Aqsa is administered by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, affiliated with Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf, as a place of worship for Muslims.
Since 2003, Israeli police have allowed illegal Israeli settlers to enter through the Mughrabi Gate under police protection, despite repeated Palestinian and Jordanian calls for the practice to end.
Israeli attacks continue despite Gaza ceasefire, killing one Palestinian
In Gaza, a Palestinian was killed and four others, including a child, were injured in Israeli attacks on Friday, October 2, amid continued violations of the ceasefire that took effect in October 2025.
Ibrahim Munir al-Masri was killed and another Palestinian injured in an Israeli strike targeting a gathering near the Ansar junction southwest of Gaza City, according to a medical source cited by Anadolu.
Three others, including a girl and an elderly woman, were injured by Israeli army gunfire in Al-Mawasi and near Hamad City northwest of Khan Younis.
Witnesses reported Israeli military vehicles firing at residential areas and tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, while Israeli warships fired along the coast.
Israeli forces also carried out demolitions in areas under their control in Al-Tuffah, east of Gaza City, while artillery shelled eastern Deir al-Balah and the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, according to local sources.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said 1,439 Palestinians had been killed and 5,052 injured in Israeli violations since the ceasefire began. It put the overall Palestinian death toll since October 2023 at 74,040, with 175,168 injured.
Medical supplies wait 74 days for Gaza
The World Health Organisation said medical supplies destined for Gaza face a median wait of 74 days for clearance by Israeli authorities.
WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory Reinhilde Van De Weerdt said no hospital in Gaza was currently fully functional, with shortages of medicines and medical equipment hampering efforts to restore health services.
She said equipment including X-ray machines, sterilisation equipment and CT scanner parts was regularly rejected, sometimes without explanation.
The WHO called for the “unimpeded and predictable” entry of humanitarian and health supplies at scale through multiple crossings.
West Bank olive harvest under attack
In the occupied West Bank, an illegal Israeli settler injured a 46-year-old Palestinian farmer during raids on olive farms in Beita, south of Nablus, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
Witnesses said illegal Israeli settlers used stun grenades and tear gas against farmers in Jabal al-Arma, forcing them to leave.
In Salfit, illegal Israeli settlers accompanied by Israeli forces reportedly prevented farmers from harvesting olives in Deir Istiya and forced others from land in Farkha and Haris.
Three farmers from Haris were also detained while harvesting, according to the Palestinian official news agency Wafa.
The olive harvest runs from early October through November and is an important source of income for Palestinian families.
2,051 attacks reported across West Bank
The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said Israeli forces and illegal Israeli settlers carried out 2,051 attacks against Palestinians, their land and property during September.
Of these, 1,404 were attributed to Israeli forces and 647 to illegal Israeli settlers. Ramallah and Al-Bireh recorded the highest number, with 506 attacks, followed by Nablus with 342 and Hebron with 272.
Illegal Israeli settler attacks directly injured or otherwise harmed 88 Palestinians, including seven children and six women, the commission said.
The attacks also affected 14,600 trees, including 9,334 olive trees.
More than 45,000 trees were cut down or damaged across the West Bank during the first half of 2026, including more than 26,000 olive trees, according to the commission.
It said illegal Israeli settlers had carried out 5,561 attacks against Palestinians, their land and property since the beginning of 2026 and attempted to establish 21 new illegal outposts during September.
Israeli authorities also issued two military seizure orders affecting 9.1 dunams (2.25 acres) of Palestinian land and seven orders to remove trees and vegetation covering 560.6 dunams (138.5 acres).
Israeli forces carried out 62 demolition operations during September, affecting 254 structures, including homes.
Israeli forces arrest six Palestinians in West Bank
Israeli forces arrested six Palestinians during raids in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office.
Three were arrested in Burqa, northwest of Nablus, after Israeli forces raided and searched homes. Others were arrested in Zababdeh south of Jenin, Jayyus in Qalqilya and Hebron.
Palestinian prisoner organisations say more than 9,300 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including about 350 children and 90 women. They have alleged torture, starvation and medical neglect among detainees.
Lapid says young Israelis backed killing Palestinians, incl babies
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said a group of young Israelis he met expressed support for killing all Palestinians in Gaza, including babies.
Speaking on a podcast, Lapid said the group told him there were “no innocents” in Gaza and, when asked whether that included babies, said they should also be killed because they would eventually become “terrorists”.
Lapid also criticised Israeli ministers who have made extreme statements about Gaza, including Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who in November 2023 called for the use of a nuclear weapon against Gaza.
Iran seeks end to Iraq flight restrictions
Iran called for restrictions on flights between Iran and Iraq to be lifted, saying they were causing difficulties for passengers including pilgrims, patients, students and businesspeople.
The call came amid US sanctions affecting Iran’s aviation sector. Iraq has secured a limited US sanctions waiver allowing Iraqi Airways to resume flights to Iran, initially for one month.
[Photo: Some of the many illegal Israeli settlers seen entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under the protection of Israeli police on the third day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, on September 28, 2026 in East Jerusalem, Palestine. Photojournalist: Gazi Samad/AA]
