Thousands of Radical Jews Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque, Perform Rituals
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - More than 4,200 Israeli settlers and members of far-right groups forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem. The incursion, the largest of its kind this year, was staged to mark the Tisha B’Av holiday.
Citing an Al Jazeera report on Thursday (23 July 2026), Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, also entered the holy site under heavy police escort. The Palestinian Authority recorded the number of Israelis entering at 4,288, with the figure expected to exceed 5,000 before sunset.
“Israeli forces imposed strict restrictions at the gates, barring most Palestinian worshippers and students from entering, and attacked several worshippers inside the location,” a Palestinian official said regarding the situation within the Al-Aqsa compound.
The Israeli settlers performed Talmudic rituals inside the compound, including kneeling, singing and praying openly. Israeli media reported that police permitted more than 1,000 Israelis to pray at the site.
“Jewish visitors who come to this site on Tisha B’Av feel like its owners,” said Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, praising what he described as extraordinary progress at Al-Aqsa.
The non-Muslim prayer activities violated the status quo under the 1967 agreement, which prohibits worship by non-Muslims at the third holiest site in Islam. The Jerusalem city government condemned Ben-Gvir’s actions as a dangerous escalation reflecting official backing from the Israeli government.
“These incursions constitute a dangerous escalation designed to impose a division of time and space at the holy site. The Al-Aqsa compound remains an exclusively Muslim place of worship in which Israel holds no legal sovereignty,” the Palestinian Presidency asserted in an official statement.
Hamas also issued a stern warning that such blatant acts of aggression would backfire on the occupation and its settlers. Meanwhile, Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the incursion.
“These visits constitute a desecration of the sanctity of the mosque, an escalation, a barbaric act and an unacceptable provocation,” said Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Fouad Majali.
Journalists on the ground reported that the involvement of senior figures from the ruling Likud Party marks a fundamental political shift within the Israeli government. Palestinian officials and Muslim leadership believe calls to rebuild the Jewish temple are now being directly supported by key officials in the Israeli parliament.
The incursions are expected to continue until Friday and have the potential to trigger wider follow-on clashes. The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs has urged the international community to immediately pressure Israel to halt all violations at the holy site in Jerusalem.