Reposted from IMEMC, September 29, 2026
The Jerusalem Governorate said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led 1,271 colonizers in an invasion of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem on the third day of Sukkot. Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, colonizers attacked Palestinians and their property.
The colonizers entered the holy site under heavy Israeli police guard after the police and the soldiers removed the local worshipers from the holy site. Katz, Ben-Gvir, and the colonizers performed Talmudic rituals in the eastern area of Al-Aqsa.
Colonizer invasions of Al-Aqsa have intensified since the beginning of the Jewish holiday season, amid tightened Israeli military measures across occupied Jerusalem.
Elsewhere in the governorate, about 50 colonizers invaded the archaeological Al-Ras area in the Old Town of Al-Jeeb, raised Israeli flags and prevented Palestinians from reaching the site.
Israeli forces have stepped up restrictions on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, blocking roads, limiting movement and causing hours-long waits at checkpoints. pic.twitter.com/bOKeriZIyL
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) September 28, 2026
In Sebastia, northwest of Nablus in the northern West Bank, colonizers assaulted 75-year-old Bilal Kayed while he was on his land, beating him and pouring boiling water on his body. He suffered injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
They also carried out provocative tours in Khirbet Al-Markaz. In Khirbet Huwara, a Palestinian girl confronted a colonizer who invaded the community, affirming the residents’ steadfastness on their land.
In the central West Bank’s Salfit governorate, hundreds of colonizers, protected by Israeli soldiers, invaded Kifl Hares, north of Salfit, and performed Talmudic rituals in the center of the town.
The colonizers also invaded Palestinian olive orchards in Sarta village, west of Salfit, and harvested olives from trees owned by local Palestinian residents.
In Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate, in the central West Bank, Israeli colonizers carried out separate attacks overnight in Ras Karkar, west of Ramallah, and Deir Abu Mash’al, northwest of the city.
In Ras Karkar, the colonizers torched a Palestinian-owned agricultural tractor and sprayed racist graffiti, while armed colonizer militias invaded Deir Abu Mash’al after midnight and set fire to several Palestinian vehicles, including one belonging to Ahmad Shehada.
In Umm Safa, northwest of Ramallah, colonizers invaded Palestinian lands in the Wadi Al-Zeitoun area and stole olives. Other groups also stole olives from Palestinian lands in Sinjil and Turmus Ayya, in addition to Turmus Ayya, north and northwest of Ramallah.
The attacks coincided with the start of the annual olive harvest, when Palestinian farmers in several areas face colonizer attacks that include crop theft, the cutting or burning of trees, and attempts to prevent them from reaching their lands.
Colonizers also attacked cars and the home of Abdul-Rahim Haj Mohammad in Al-Mughayyir. Local sources reported that live rounds were fired at Palestinian youths during protests near the town’s entrance.
In the northern West Bank governorate of Jenin, Israeli colonizers used agricultural tractors and other equipment to harvest and steal olives from Palestinian-owned lands in the Khirbet Masoud area, south of the city.
In Hebron governorate, including Masafer Yatta in the southern West Bank, colonizers hurled stones at the home of Yousef Shannaran in Wadi Al-Rakhim, installed an iron gate on the road linking Khallet Al-Hummus and Eshkara, and cut and stole an electrical cable supplying Ahmad Ali A’tiyya’s home in Khirbet Huwara.
They also carried out provocative tours in Khirbet Al-Markaz. In Khirbet Huwara, a Palestinian girl confronted a colonizer who invaded the community.
Colonizers also attacked Palestinian homes and assaulted several residents in Halhul, north of Hebron.
The attack occurred in the town’s Wadi Qaboun area, where local sources said armed colonizers, protected by Israeli forces, beat several Palestinians. Israeli soldiers also installed a military roadblock at the town’s entrance, stopped and searched vehicles, and inspected passengers’ identification cards.
مستعمرون من البؤرة الاستيطانية المقامة في وادي الزيتون يقطفون ويسرقون، في هذه الأثناء، ثمار الزيتون من أراضي المواطنين في قرية أم صفا شمال غرب رام الله. pic.twitter.com/ubMlkOK55R
— زاهر ابو حسين (@ZAHERABUHUSIEN) September 28, 2026
Wadi Qaboun, southeast of Halhul, is threatened by illegal colonial expansion and subjected to repeated attacks, including assaults on homes, the theft and destruction of crops, the uprooting and breaking of fruit trees, and the bulldozing of Palestinian land.
Video footage circulated by local media showed Israeli colonizers stealing harvested olives from Palestinian land in Hebron while protected by Israeli occupation forces.
According to the Wall and Colonization Resistance Commission, Israeli soldiers and colonizers carried out 2,030 attacks against Palestinians and their property in August, including 1,402 by Israeli forces and 628 by colonizers. The attacks were concentrated in the governorates of Nablus, Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Hebron, Bethlehem, Jenin and Jerusalem.
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