Ben-Gvir leads mass incursion at Al-Aqsa as Israeli election tensions mount
Palestinian officials warn visitor numbers could reach 5,000 as strict security measures bar most local access and police arrest 16 suspects overnight.
Hundreds of Israelis, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, marking one of the largest incursions of the year. The visit coincided with Tisha B’Av, a Jewish day of mourning, and occurred amidst heightened security measures that restricted Palestinian access to the site. Palestinian officials warned that the number of visitors could reach 5,000. The incursion has escalated tensions ahead of Israel’s national elections scheduled for October, with analysts describing the move as a provocative political strategy by the far-right to consolidate support.
Israeli police arrested 16 Jewish suspects overnight over alleged damage to a Muslim cemetery and violence against Palestinians. Opposition figures criticised the government’s role in altering the status quo at the site, while security experts warned of further volatility and potential ethnic cleansing efforts in the West Bank and Gaza. Ben-Gvir, who has entered the compound at least 16 times since becoming national security minister, described the event as "tremendous progress" and stated that Jews were "feeling like they are the owners" of the site.
The incursion saw Israeli activists, including lawmaker Amit Halevi and Rabbi Shimshon Elboim, raise Israeli flags and sing the national anthem within the compound. Participants reported that Israeli police, which Ben-Gvir oversees, allowed them to pray, sing, and prostrate themselves across the site. This marks a significant departure from traditional Orthodox Jewish prohibitions against entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, reflecting the rise of the Religious Zionist movement and its increasing influence in Israeli politics.
Tensions have been further inflamed by recent actions from the far-right government. In recent weeks, Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich led settlers to Gaza’s perimeter demanding the reestablishment of 2005-era settlements. Smotrich has reportedly entrenched the Settlements Administration within the Ministry of Defence, while government ministers, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have referenced the "voluntary emigration" of Palestinians from Gaza.
Security analysts warn that these actions are part of a broader strategy to consolidate political support ahead of the October parliamentary elections. Ahron Bregman, a senior teaching fellow at King’s College London, noted that settlers have penetrated government and military structures, making it difficult for any Israeli government to constrain their activities. He warned of ongoing ethnic cleansing efforts in the West Bank and Gaza, describing the current political climate as one of the most toxic in Israel’s history.
