Israeli Minister Backs Jewish Extremists in Al-aqsa Invasion
WHO:
The Guardian - Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right minister of national security.
Al Jazeera - Palestinian officials, including the Palestinian administration of the Jerusalem governorate and the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Al Jazeera - Likud lawmaker Amit Halevi and Israeli “Temple Mount” activists.
Al Jazeera - Jordanian foreign ministry, represented by spokesperson Ambassador Fouad Majali.
WHAT:
Al Jazeera - The Palestinian administration of the Jerusalem governorate reported that 4,288 Israelis had entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Al Jazeera - The number of Israelis entering the compound was expected to reach 5,000 by sundown, which would exceed the numbers recorded in previous years during the same Jewish holiday.
The Guardian - Israeli media reported that police allowed more than 1,000 Israelis to pray at the site on Thursday.
The Guardian - Thousands of Jewish extremists stormed the al-Aqsa mosque compound.
Al Jazeera - More than 4,000 Israeli settlers and members of far-right groups entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The Guardian - 3,228 Israelis entered the compound during the morning period, with expectations of thousands more in the afternoon.
Al Jazeera - The number of Israelis entering the compound was expected to reach 5,000 by sundown.
The Guardian - Police arrested 16 Jewish suspects over violence in old Jerusalem.
The Guardian - Ben-Gvir stated that Jews praying at the site “feel like the owners” and noted “enormous progress here”.
WHERE:
The Guardian - Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound, also known as al-Haram al-Sharif to Muslims and the Temple Mount to Jews.
Al Jazeera - Occupied East Jerusalem.
WHEN:
The Guardian - The events occurred on Thursday, coinciding with the Jewish holy day of Tisha B’Av.
Al Jazeera - Tisha B’Av marks the destruction of the ancient Jewish temple.
WHY:
Al Jazeera - The Palestinian presidency described the incursions as a “dangerous escalation” designed to enforce a temporal and spatial division of the site.
The Guardian - The actions are seen as a provocation that could ignite a religious war, according to the Palestinian ministry of religious endowments and affairs.
Al Jazeera - The incursions are described as a dangerous escalation aimed at enforcing a temporal and spatial division of the site.
HOW:
Al Jazeera - Israeli authorities had “taken extreme measures in the Old City” of Jerusalem, including barring entry to the Al-Aqsa compound for all but the elderly and tightening checkpoints around East Jerusalem.
The Guardian - Ben-Gvir was escorted by armed police during the storming of the compound.
Al Jazeera - Israeli forces imposed tight restrictions at the mosque’s gates, barring large numbers of Palestinian worshippers from entering.
(UPDATED July 24, 2026 01:29 UTC)
The Palestinian administration of the Jerusalem governorate reported that 4,288 Israelis had entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, with expectations that the number would reach 5,000 by sundown, surpassing previous years' figures during the same Jewish holiday. Israeli media indicated that police permitted more than 1,000 Israelis to pray at the site on Thursday, while the Palestinian presidency condemned these actions as a “dangerous escalation” aimed at enforcing a division of the site. In response, Israeli authorities implemented strict measures in the Old City of Jerusalem, limiting access to the Al-Aqsa compound to the elderly and tightening checkpoints around East Jerusalem.
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(UPDATED July 23, 2026 16:27 UTC)
Thousands of Jewish extremists, including over 4,000 Israeli settlers and members of far-right groups, stormed the al-Aqsa mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, coinciding with the Jewish holy day of Tisha B’Av, which commemorates the destruction of the ancient Jewish temple. Israeli police arrested 16 Jewish suspects amid the violence, while far-right minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was escorted by armed police, claimed that Jews praying at the site “feel like the owners.” The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs condemned the actions as a dangerous provocation that could ignite a religious war, highlighting the tight restrictions imposed by Israeli forces that barred many Palestinian worshippers from entering the mosque.