Overview
- Thousands of Israeli settlers and far‑right activists entered the Al‑Aqsa/Temple Mount compound on Thursday in groups allowed by heavy Israeli police protection, with reported participation ranging from about 1,300 to more than 2,300 people and expectations the numbers could rise further.
- National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir and other ministers joined the presence on the site, publicly praising Jewish visitors who they said prayed there, which Palestinian officials and regional actors say represents a political legitimation of previously extremist actions.
- Israeli forces tightened access around the Old City and the compound’s gates, blocking many Palestinian worshippers from reaching the mosque for dawn prayers and prompting reports that some were assaulted and forced to pray in nearby streets.
- Participants performed Jewish rituals, raised Israeli flags inside the courtyards, and police erected tents on the compound, acts that Palestinian authorities and the Jordanian‑administered Waqf say violate the long‑standing rule that allows non‑Muslim visits but forbids non‑Muslim prayer.
- Foreign ministers of the UAE, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar issued a joint condemnation calling the incursions a flagrant violation of international law and warned the episode could further inflame tensions across the region.