Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Sunday stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem under heavy police protection.
Citing the Jerusalem Governorate, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said the incursion comes amid an ongoing escalation of violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in East Jerusalem, as well as continued restrictions on worshippers’ access to the mosque.
Such incursions by Ben-Gvir are typically carried out without prior public announcement. Israeli ministers are only permitted to enter the Al-Aqsa compound with advance approval from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The extremist minister has continued these provocations despite repeated Arab, Islamic, and international condemnations.