Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led thousands of Jewish settlers and extremist groups into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, in one of the largest such incursions this year, drawing swift condemnation from eight Arab and Muslim-majority nations.

The storming coincided with Tisha B'Av, the Jewish day of mourning that commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples, which religious tradition holds stood at the site known to Muslims as Al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount. More than 4,200 settlers and far-right activists entered the compound, where many performed prayers, waved Israeli flags and sang the national anthem under heavy police escort. Ben-Gvir, posting footage of himself at the site on social media, declared that Jews there "feel like the owners" and vowed further changes, saying "everywhere, people understand that the State of Israel is the sovereign authority."

The visits directly challenge a fragile, decades-old arrangement — known as the status quo — governing access to the compound. Under this agreement, brokered between Israel and Jordan, whose religious foundation administers the site, Jews may visit but are not permitted to pray there, while Muslim worship is meant to continue uninterrupted. Ben-Gvir has systematically eroded this arrangement through repeated visits, unilateral rule changes allowing Jewish visitors to bring prayers and printed religious material, and the appointment of an ideological ally to head the Jerusalem police force. Palestinian officials reported that Israeli forces imposed tight restrictions on Muslim worshippers at the mosque's gates, barring large numbers of Palestinians from entering and assaulting several people. Overnight, marchers near the compound attacked Palestinians and vandalised a Muslim cemetery, with police arresting 16 Jewish suspects over the violence.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates condemned what they called "mass incursions by settlers led by extremist Israeli ministers," warning that the actions "fuel hatred and extremism and obstruct efforts to advance a just and lasting peace." They characterised the escalation as "an unlawful attempt to alter the historical and legal status quo" and called on the international community to compel Israel to halt its violations. The Palestinian ministry of religious endowments warned the provocations, "emanating from the highest political levels of the occupying government, seek to ignite a religious war throughout the entire region."

The stakes of disturbing the status quo at Al-Aqsa are historically high. A visit by then-Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon to the compound in 2000 helped ignite the second Palestinian intifada, a five-year conflict. Hamas cited Israeli violations at the site as part of its justification for its October 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. Al-Aqsa itself sits in East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967 and formally annexed in 1980 — a move the International Court of Justice ruled illegal in 2024. Ben-Gvir has stormed the compound more than a dozen times since taking office, and the Israeli government has continued to maintain publicly that its policy on the status quo remains unchanged.