Screen grab from social media footage showing Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at the Al-Aqsa compound
Ben-Gvir publicly carried out prayer at the Al-Aqsa compound, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, in a clear break from the long-standing status quo under which Israeli police traditionally prevented Jewish prayer at the site.
Israel has occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank since 1967 (and later annexed East Jerusalem), areas internationally recognised as part of a future Palestinian state.
In recent years, some Israeli ministers, including Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have increasingly called for the complete annexation of the West Bank.
The Jordanian Waqf administers Al-Aqsa under a long-standing arrangement that bars Jewish religious rituals on the site.
While Israeli police have in recent years permitted Jewish prayer on the eastern side of the compound, Ben-Gvir’s visit marked the first time a government minister publicly recited prayers there, according to Israeli media.
The Waqf said Ben-Gvir was among around 1,250 Israeli settlers who “prayed, shouted and danced” after entering the site.
Other reports cited a significantly higher figure, with a record 3,969 settlers said to have stormed the compound alongside the far-right minister, cabinet members and Knesset officials.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Israel’s policy on Al-Aqsa “has not changed and will not change.” However, Israel has increasingly disregarded the frequent raids on the compound, which have become a regular occurrence.
During the raid, Ben-Gvir initially refused to answer when asked by Israeli left-wing newspaper Haaretz if he had seen a video released by Hamas showing an Israeli captive held in Gaza.
When pressed again, he admitted having seen it and said: “Therefore, the right way is to occupy Gaza, destroy Hamas, and encourage emigration [of Palestinians from the Strip].”
In a video recorded at the Al-Aqsa compound and cited by Haaretz, Ben-Gvir reiterated his call for Israel to occupy Gaza and annexe the Strip, saying Hamas was attempting to pressure Israel through the captives.
Many Israelis have accused the far-right cabinet of prolonging the war on Gaza, which they say lacks any security purpose, at the expense of Israeli captives held in the territory.
According to the latest official figures, Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since 7 October 2023 has killed at least 60,332 Palestinians and injured 147,643 others, with independent estimates placing the toll even higher.
The majority of those killed are women and children.
Concerns have sharply escalated over the past week about famine in Gaza, as Israel’s five-month blockade has led to more than 160 deaths from starvation, including at least 90 children.
Ben-Gvir’s actions drew condemnation from the Palestinian Authority, which called it a “dangerous escalation,” as well as from Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
A spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the visit as crossing “all red lines.”
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the visit as a “serious violation of international law and international humanitarian law, as well as an unacceptable provocation,” calling on Israel to halt Ben-Gvir’s “provocative actions.”
The Saudi Foreign Ministry denounced the “repeated provocative practices by Israeli occupation government officials against Al-Aqsa Mosque,” emphasising that such acts “fuel the conflict in the region.”
Since taking office, Ben-Gvir has repeatedly challenged the traditional restrictions on Jewish prayer at the compound.
In June, he personally reprimanded Israeli officers who refused to allow Israeli settlers to enter the Muslim holy site while singing and dancing, proudly claiming he had changed police policy to permit such actions.
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