The Islamic Waqf reported that 2,092 settlers entered the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque throughout the day. Among them were Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Negev and Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, and several Knesset members from Likud, Otzma Yehudit, and Religious Zionism.
By evening, hundreds of settlers gathered at Damascus Gate to what they call the “Flag March,” which celebrates Israel’s 1967 occupation of East Jerusalem. They waved Israeli flags, danced in circles, and shouted “Death to Arabs” and “Flatten Gaza,” in scenes deeply provocative and racist scenes.
Israeli forces blocked access to the Old City for many Palestinians and surrounded the Damascus Gate area with barricades. Inside the Old City, settlers attacked several Palestinians, including an elderly man in the Muslim Quarter. Photos and videos showed one settler spraying a Palestinian in the face with pepper spray near Al-Zahira Gate.
Marking Jerusalem Occupation Day, Israeli settlers assaulted Palestinians in the occupied Old City after hundreds, joined by far-right Knesset members and ministers, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in a provocative act against Muslims. pic.twitter.com/vXBI0vICJG
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 26, 2025
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza, held a special government meeting in the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. Marking the Hebrew calendar anniversary of Israel's occupation of the city’s eastern half, Netanyahu vowed to keep Jerusalem “united under Israeli sovereignty” and bragged about projects to Judaize the city, including infrastructure, housing, education, and tourism investments.
Palestinian officials and religious leaders condemned the actions. Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque, told Al Jazeera that Israel blocked Muslim worshippers from entering the mosque while allowing settlers to do as they pleased. He warned of growing danger and a disturbing silence in the face of these provocations.
The Palestinian presidency issued a statement warning of the consequences of continued aggression in Jerusalem and Gaza. “This aggression threatens the entire region,” said presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh. “From the genocide in Gaza to the storming of Al-Aqsa and raising of Israeli flags in its courtyards, the occupation is pushing the region toward escalation.”
Hamas also condemned the actions. In a statement, the resistance movement said the mass settler incursion led by Ben-Gvir and the performance of Talmudic rituals in the mosque compound was “a dangerous escalation” and a blatant attempt to impose full Israeli control over Al-Aqsa.
