More than 4,200 Israeli settlers and members of far-right groups entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday during the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av, according to Palestinian officials.
Among those entering the site was Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who visited the compound under heavy police protection.
The Palestinian administration of the Jerusalem Governorate said 4,288 Israelis had entered the compound by midday and expected the number to rise further before sunset, potentially exceeding 5,000 and marking one of the largest such visits during Tisha B’Av in recent years.
Palestinian authorities alleged that Israeli security forces imposed strict restrictions at the mosque’s entrances, preventing many Palestinian worshippers and students from entering the compound. They also accused Israeli forces of assaulting several worshippers during the operation.
According to reports from the occupied West Bank, Israeli authorities significantly tightened security measures across Jerusalem’s Old City, limiting access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque largely to elderly Palestinian worshippers and increasing security checks at key checkpoints around East Jerusalem.
Palestinian officials also said some Israeli visitors performed Jewish religious rituals, including prayers, singing and prostration, inside the compound during the visit.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is one of the most sensitive religious sites in the region, revered by Muslims as Islam’s third-holiest site and by Jews as the Temple Mount, where two ancient Jewish temples are believed to have stood. Tensions at the site have frequently drawn international concern due to its religious and political significance.
