Occupied Jerusalem (QNN)- Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Sunday for the second time in a week, in a provocative move following Israel’s 40-day closure of the holy site to Palestinians.
Local sources reported that Ben-Gvir raided the compound on Sunday morning alongside settlers, under the protection of heavily armed police. He also performed Talmudic rituals.
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"Today, I feel like the owner here," the far-right minister said in a video filmed at the site and distributed by his office.
"There is still more to do, more to improve. I keep pushing the Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] to do more and more; we must keep rising higher and higher."
Jordan, the custodian of the holy site, said it considered Ben-Gvir's visit a violation of the status quo agreement and "a desecration of its sanctity, a condemnable escalation and an unacceptable provocation".
Ben-Gvir's spokesperson said the minister was seeking greater access and prayer permits for Jewish visitors. He also said that Ben-Gvir had prayed at the site.
On April 7, he also stormed the site during Israel’s closure of the mosque to Palestinians.
Ben-Gvir has stormed the mosque at least 16 times since taking office in 2023, according to reports. The raids, along with the performance of prayers in the mosque’s courtyards, violates the long-standing status quo. This set of rules, recognized internationally, designates Al-Aqsa Mosque as an exclusively Islamic site, where only Muslims are permitted to worship.
Ben-Gvir’s Sunday raid comes after Israel reopened the holy site on Thursday for the first time since it closed it to Palestinians since the start of the Israeli-US assault on Iran on February 28.
Before the war on Iran, Israeli settlers used to raid the Al-Aqsa Mosque while backed by police twice daily, except on weekends, in small groups, usually fewer than 100 people.
The recent total closure of one of Islam’s holiest sites was not seen since the start of the occupation in 1967, raising concerns over Israeli plans to impose further restrictions and tighten control over the compound.
No exceptions were made for Muslims, even during Ramadan, Islam’s holiest month, or the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Meanwhile, it allowed settler incursions into Islam’s third-holiest site last Sunday. Up to 50 settlers were permitted to visit the Al-Buraq Wall, which is part of the walls of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex and known to Jews as the Western Wall. The settlers attended traditional prayers as part of the Passover holiday, held in a covered space by the Western Wall plaza.
Israeli occupation authorities have also resumed near-daily incursions by Israeli settlers into Al-Aqsa following its reopening, while extending their duration.
They perform Tamudic rituals, pray, sing and dance while backed by forces.
Before the war, such incursions took place in two shifts on weekdays: from 7am to 11am and from 1:30pm to 2:30pm. Under a new schedule approved before the war on Iran, raids now run from 6:30am to 11:30am and from 1:30pm to 3pm, totalling six and a half hours daily.
The Jerusalem Governorate described the extension as a “dangerous escalation” that further undermines the status quo.
“The extension reflects an acceleration in efforts to impose new realities at Al-Aqsa Mosque and entrench time-based division, particularly following its reopening after a 40-day closure,” it said.
Last Friday was the first Friday since the closure, during which the holy site was shut for five Fridays.
