Ben-Gvir leads settler incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Ben-Gvir performs Talmudic rituals at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- Far right 'Israeli' minister breaches Al-Aqsa Mosque status quo ahead of election.
- He enters Al-Aqsa Mosque with settlers under heavy security.
Far-right 'Israeli' National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led an incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday, performing religious rituals inside the sanctuary under police guard.
An official from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Anadolu Agency that Ben-Gvir entered the holy site accompanied by armed security forces and a group of settlers.
Images circulating across social media platforms showed the leader of the Jewish Power party offering Talmudic prayers in the eastern area of the mosque complex.
"Ben-Gvir stormed the Al-Aqsa compound under strict police protection, deliberately violating the established sanctuary of the site," an official from the Islamic Waqf Department stated.
بن غفير، بعد جولته الانتخابية في معسكرات التعذيب الإسرائيلية، وصل إلى المسجد الأقصى وأعلن أن إسرائيل بحاجة إلى بناء الهيكل:
— Tamer | تامر (@tamerqdh) August 31, 2026
"من المؤثر جداً أن أصل إلى هنا اليوم، نحتاج إلى طقوس التطهر، ونحتاج إلى الهيكل، نحتاج إلى الهيكل". pic.twitter.com/zRmeTG2RL1
Systematic push to alter historic status quo
The unannounced raid is the latest in a series of provocative incursions conducted by Ben-Gvir into the third-holiest site in Islam, drawing widespread condemnation from Palestinian leadership, regional Arab states, and the international community.
The visit comes two months prior to the 'Israeli' parliamentary election set for October 27, with critics describing the move as a calculated attempt to mobilize far-right voters.
Since 2003, 'Israeli' police have facilitated daily settler incursions into the complex without the approval of the Islamic Waqf, the Jordanian-appointed authority responsible for managing the site.
Palestinian leaders warned that the increasing frequency of minister-led incursions represents a deliberate effort to alter the historic status quo, divide the holy site geographically and temporally, and strip occupied East Jerusalem of its Palestinian and Islamic identity.
