This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Dozens of fanatical Jewish groups, accompanied by Israeli police, storm the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque within the Purim celebrations in Old City of Eastern Jerusalem on March 24, 2024. [Mohammad Hamad – Anadolu Agency]
Scores of illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday morning, local media said.
The settlers toured the compound and performed Talmudic rituals under the protection of Israeli police, the official news agency Wafa reported.
The settler incursion came amid rising tensions across the occupied West Bank over Israel’s deadly assault on the Gaza Strip, where nearly 63,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.
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.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (3rd R) led a large group of illegal settlers in a provocative march and mass incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on August 03, 2025. [Jerusalem Islamic Waqf – Anadolu Agency]
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led a large group of illegal settlers in a provocative march and mass incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem early Sunday, coinciding with the Jewish commemoration of Tisha B’Av.
According to the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, at least 1,251 illegal Israeli settlers stormed the mosque compound in the morning hours performing Talmudic rituals, singing, and dancing under heavy police protection.
Among the participants was Likud lawmaker Amit Halevi, who joined Ben-Gvir in what Palestinian officials called an “unprecedented escalation in political and religious incitement,” according to Wafa news agency.
The Jerusalem Governorate warned of the seriousness of this large-scale, organized incursion, calling it a “systematic violation” of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the rights of Palestinian worshippers, Anadolu reports.
The incursion included assaults on Muslim worshippers, journalists, and Al-Aqsa guards.
In a statement from within the compound, Ben-Gvir said “the Temple Mount is for the Jews, and we will remain here forever,” sparking widespread condemnation.
The incursion came hours after Ben-Gvir led another illegal settler march through the Old City of Jerusalem after midnight.
The events were organized by extremist “Temple Mount” groups, which had called for mass entry into the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday to mark Tisha B’Av, which they refer to as the “anniversary of the Temple’s destruction.”
The Jerusalem Governorate described this year’s Tisha B’Av as one of the most dangerous days for Al-Aqsa, citing plans by the groups to designate Aug. 3 as the “largest day of incursions.”
The statement added that the Israeli government’s full alignment with illegal settler groups was emboldening efforts to alter the religious and legal status of the mosque.
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.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
A group of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in the occupied East Jerusalem on December 26, 2024. [Screengrab/AA]
More than 200 illegal Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem under the protection of Israeli police, authorities said Wednesday, Anadolu reports.
Anonymous sources from the Islamic Endowment Department said 217 illegal Israeli settlers raided the holy site.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center, a local rights group, said 124 settlers stormed the mosque in the morning, and 93 broke into the site later in the day.
The settlers performed Talmudic rituals within the courtyards under the protection of Israeli forces, the Wafa news agency in Palestine reported.
The settler raid came after the reopening of the mosque following 12 days of it being closed due to a state of emergency that Israel implemented during its attacks on Iran.
Israel began allowing Israeli settlers to enter the Al-Aqsa compound in 2003, despite objections from the Islamic Endowment Department.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.
A view of the Qubbat al-Sakhra (Dome of the Rock) at Al-Aqsa mosque compound, where the first qibla of Muslims, in Jerusalem on April 19, 2024 [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]
Qatar has strongly condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir under the protection of occupation forces.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Qatari Foreign Ministry stated that repeated attempts to undermine the religious and historical status of Al-Aqsa Mosque are not only an attack on Palestinians but also on over two billion Muslims worldwide.
It also warned about the continuation of the aggressive policies adopted by the Israeli government in the occupied Palestinian territories, highlighting their impact on increasing violence in the region and undermining efforts for a two-state solution and achieving a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace.
Qatar reaffirmed its steadfast position on justice for the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their full right to practice their religious rituals without restrictions and to establish their independent state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Earlier yesterday, extremist minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque with a group of settlers. They were heavily guarded by occupation police. This is thought to be part of his efforts to mark the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/ שי קנדלר
Storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been one of the Israeli occupation’s provocative policies towards the Palestinian people, exemplifying the fact that the end goal of the Zionist project is incompatible with any semblance of Palestinian sovereignty
In a new assault on sacred places within the occupied Palestinian capital of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), around 1,500 illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Tuesday, August 13. The settlers were led by Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir , and Minister for the Development of the Periphery, the Negev and the Galilee Yitzhak Wasserlauf. The attack comes as Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza completes 10 months, and Israel’s continuous provocations have put the ceasefire talks in jeopardy.
The assault was not limited to storming the holy site as Jewish rituals were also performed there in commemoration of the Jews’ fast of Tisha B’Av. According to media reports, Palestinian worshipers were prevented from accessing Al-Aqsa compound during the incursion.
As per international conventions and agreements, including the Jordan-Israel Peace Treaty, only Muslims are allowed to pray within Al-Aqsa compound, also known as Al-Haram al-Sharif (the Arabic term for the Noble Sanctuary).
On July 24, Ben-Gvir declared the permission of Jewish prayers in the so-called “Temple Mount”, the Israeli alleged name for Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Speaking at a Knesset conference, Ben Gavir stated then: “I was at the Temple Mount last week. I prayed at the Temple Mount and we are praying at the Temple Mount. I am in the political echelon, and the political echelon allows Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount.”
Jordan’s custodianship over Al-Aqsa mosque
In 1924, the Supreme Muslim Council, which was the highest Muslim body in charge of Muslims’ affairs in Mandatory Palestine, decided to assign Al-Hussein Bin Ali, the grandfather of Jordan’s King Abdullah II, to be the custodian of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The custodianship over Al-Aqsa became a legacy of consecutive Hashemite Jordanian monarchs ever since even after Palestine was occupied by Zionists in 1948, who then established their colonial state known today as Israel.
In 1994, the Israeli occupation signed a peace treaty with Jordan, which stipulated Israel’s recognition of Jordan’s role as custodian of Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. However, Israeli officials, illegal settlers, and armed forces have recurrently committed flagrant violations in Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, despite the treaty.
Jordanian authorities generally issue condemnations against Israeli violations against Al-Aqsa and Muslim worshipers, who perform religious rituals there. Jordan’s last statement was published after the latest episode on Tuesday, August 13.
“The incursion, carried out under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, coincides with provocative actions by Israeli extremists and restrictions on worshippers’ access to the mosque. This act is a blatant violation of international law and the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its sanctities, reflecting the Israeli government’s disregard for international laws and its obligations as the occupying power,” Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said on Tuesday.
The Ministry also reaffirmed that the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf ( Endowments) and Islamic Affairs is the legal authority responsible for managing all affairs of Al-Haram al-Sharif compound and regulating access to it. Whereas the right of the State of Palestine to sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem was stressed by the Jordanian Ministry, which at the same time assured that Israel, as the occupying power, has no right or sovereignty over the city and its Islamic and Christian sanctities.
Al-Aqsa: a constant trigger point in the struggle against occupation
Al-Aqsa Mosque, in particular, and Al-Quds city in general are national constants that Palestinian have categorically refused to concede along with maintaining Palestinian refugees’ right of return, freeing Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, liberating Palestine, and ending the Israeli occupation. Therefore, any violations against Al-Aqsa or attempts to change the status quo have always fueled milestone events within the lengthy struggle of the Palestinian people against the Israeli occupation.
A report issued by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas in January 2024, clarified that the Israeli assaults against Al-Aqsa were among the major factors that triggered Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in October 2023.
The report which is titled “Our Narrative…Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” explained that the operation was a necessary step, and that it was a natural reaction against Israel’s plans to eliminate the Palestinian cause, seize and/or Judaize Palestinian lands, and impose complete control over Al-Aqsa Mosque and other holy sites.
The year 2000 marked another milestone, when the second Intifada, also named Al-Aqsa Intifada, broke out after then-Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon,stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound escorted by more than 1,000 heavily armed Israeli police and army personnel.
Sharon’s assault on Al-Aqsa was preceded by other Israeli massacres in the holy site that left scores of Palestinians killed. In 1996, protests erupted across different parts of occupied Palestine after the Israeli occupation authorities opened a tunnel under Al-Aqsa western wall. The Israeli Occupation Forces clashed with protesters leaving 63 Palestinians killed and over 1,600 wounded.
Another bloody massacre took place in 1990, when an Israeli individual attempted to place the cornerstone for a temple inside Al-Aqsa mosque compound. The incident sparked demonstrations by Palestinians within the compound, which were suppressed by Israeli occupation forces’ gunfire, killing 21 Palestinians and wounding over one hundred others.
In 1982, Israeli soldier Harry Goldman stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and opened fire at worshipers and guards. Two Palestinians were killed in the incident and 60 others were wounded.
Christians in occupied Palestine, particularly in Jerusalem have also suffered from Israeli oppression and discriminatory acts. The year 2023 witnessed a “notable increase” in attacks against Christians and their property, according to Israeli media reports. Assaults committed by religious Jews on Christian symbols, churches, clergy, nuns, and pilgrims, were documented in videos, circulated widely and condemned by Palestinian Christian clergy and laypersons.
The Zionist entity has adopted an apartheid approach aiming at uprooting Palestinians, dispossessing their land, property, sacred sites, and even their culture and cuisine. However, even after 10 months of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, it is apparent that resistance and resilience have been deeply entrenched in the Palestinian collective perception, and inherently rooted in their conscience.
