Ben-Gvir Leads 2,200+ Settlers Storming Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque

By Staff, Agencies

"Israeli" Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, accompanied by herds of Zionist settlers, stormed the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday morning, performing Talmudic rituals to mark Tisha B'Av [the destruction of the Temple], in a provocative move that drew widespread Palestinian condemnation as a dangerous escalation.

More than 2,200 settlers took part in the incursion, storming the al-Aqsa Mosque’s courtyards in waves under heavy "Israeli" police protection.

Inside the compound, they performed group prayers, chanted, danced, and shouted, in blatant violation of the sanctity of the site. All this was done with approval from the occupation police, in a clear violation of even "Israeli" law.

Meanwhile, Palestinians were reportedly barred from entering the mosque and the entire Old City through gates near the holy site.

In a first, Ben-Gvir openly led a minyan, a quorum of 10 Jewish men, in prayer in the Al-Aqsa, marking the first time the far-right leader has been seen engaging in overt worship at the sacred Muslim site and the first time a minister has done this provocative act.

These incursions are part of an organized plan that "Temple" groups had called for in recent days, aiming to make August 3 the "day of the largest incursion" into al-Aqsa, taking advantage of full “Israeli” support for their religious and political agenda.

The Al-Quds governorate warned of the heightened danger posed by this year's event. It described it as "the most serious threat to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in years," especially since Sunday’s incursion seeks to breach the religious and legal red lines restricting settler conduct within the sanctuary, all under official “Israeli” support.

Ben-Gvir recently instructed "Israeli" police to allow settlers to sing and dance inside the mosque.