Itamar Ben-Gvir Joins Thousands Storming Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound

Itamar Ben-Gvir Leads Mass Incursions During Tisha B’Av

Israel’s far-right minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, joined thousands of Jewish extremists who stormed Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site on Thursday. Escorted by armed police, they prayed, waved the Israeli flag and sang the national anthem in a provocative display of political power.

The compound, located in Jerusalem’s walled Old City, is known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif compound and to Jews as the Temple Mount. Under a fragile, decades-old agreement known as the status quo, non-Muslim prayer is banned at the site, which is Islam’s third-holiest site and Judaism’s most sacred location. Israeli far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Thursday, praising Jewish visitors he said had prayed at the site in breach of arrangements that allow only Muslim prayer there.

The Islamic Waqf Department said 3,228 Israelis entered the compound during the morning period, and the Guardian reported that thousands more were expected in the afternoon. More than 3,200 Israelis stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday morning as they marked the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av, commemorating the destruction of the Temple. There was no immediate sign of unrest on Thursday after Ben-Gvir’s visit on Tisha B’Av, a day of fasting and lament in Judaism mourning the destruction of the ancient Jewish temples.

Regional Condemnations and Warnings of Religious Conflict

The morning incursions immediately triggered sharp diplomatic blowback across the Middle East.

Ben-Gvir and Thousands of Israelis Enter Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound

His visit drew condemnation from Jordan and Palestinian officials. The Guardian reported that the Jordanian foreign ministry strongly condemned the storming and called on the international community to take a firm [stance]. Peace Now described the events as a dangerous provocation at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, saying collective Jewish prayers at the site where prayer is prohibited violated the fragile status quo.

These provocative practices, emanating from the highest political levels of the occupying government, seek to ignite a religious war throughout the entire region. In a

Erosion of the Status Quo and Domestic Political Backing

Jewish settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces. According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, a number of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, conducted provocative tours of its courtyards, and performed Talmudic rituals, under the protection of the occupation forces.

Ben-Gvir has eroded the agreement in recent years through a series of inflammatory visits to the compound, and unilateral changes to rules for Jewish visitors, including allowing them to bring prayers and printed religious material to the site. He installed an ideological ally as the head of the Jerusalem police force in January, smoothing the path to greater changes.

The Guardian reported that Ben-Gvir joined thousands of Jewish extremists who stormed Jerusalem’s sensitive holy site on Thursday, describing the group as praying, waving the Israeli flag, and singing the national anthem while non-Muslim prayer is banned under the decades-old status quo. The Guardian also tied the moment to the Gaza war by noting that Hamas gave the name “al-Aqsa flood” to its attack on Israel in October 2023 that killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the Gaza war, claiming it was provoked by Israeli violations at the Jerusalem mosque.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is subjected to repeated incursions by settlers, under the protection of the occupation forces, which constitutes a dangerous escalation and a violation of the sanctity of the mosque.