Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led a large-scale incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem on Sunday morning, joined by Likud Knesset member Amit Halevi.

According to the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem, at least 1,251 Israeli colonists entered the courtyards of Al-Aqsa during the morning hours. Participants performed rituals including prayers, dances, and loud chants that echoed across the holy site.

The move came just hours after Ben-Gvir led a midnight march of colonists through the Old City of Jerusalem to mark what extremist Jewish groups call the “anniversary of the destruction of the Temple.” These groups had publicly called for mass stormings of the Al-Aqsa compound on Sunday to mark the occasion.

The incursions follow weeks of heightened incitement and policy shifts. Ben-Gvir has issued controversial instructions to police to allow colonists to sing and dance within the compound, a step widely viewed as part of efforts to impose new realities at the holy site in defiance of long-standing arrangements.

In May, Ben-Gvir declared that Jewish “prayer and prostration are now possible on the Temple Mount,” directly contradicting the historic status quo upheld at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Palestinian authorities and religious leaders have condemned the repeated incursions as deliberate provocations intended to undermine Muslim rights at one of Islam’s holiest sites. The situation has heightened tensions in Jerusalem, amid warnings of potential escalation. (ILKHA)