Israeli far-right minister leads hundreds into Al-Aqsa compound

Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led hundreds of Israeli Jews into Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Thursday, breaching the site's decades-old status quo as he marked the Jewish mourning day of Tisha B'Av.

The visit coincided with the fast day commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples. This year it is being observed from Wednesday night through Thursday, with Jews fasting for about 25 hours. The day is also traditionally associated with other calamities said to have affected Jewish people on or near the same date.

AFP footage showed Ben Gvir and hundreds of other worshippers at the compound, including Jewish settlers who lined up from early morning to enter the site. Many Jews also performed prayers there.

In a video filmed at the compound and posted on his Telegram channel, Ben Gvir said Jews were praying and felt they were the rightful owners there. He also said people understood that Israel was the sovereign authority and that there was more to do.

The compound is in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. It is revered as Islam's third holiest site and as Judaism's most sacred location, where the two ancient temples once stood.

Access to the site is governed by a decades-old status quo arrangement between Israel and Jordan, whose religious foundation administers the compound. Under that arrangement, Jews may visit but are not permitted to pray there, while Muslim worship is meant to continue without interruption.

The source said Ben Gvir and other Jewish visitors have repeatedly tested and breached those limits in recent years, including through open prayer at the compound. Those actions have drawn condemnation from Jordan, the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority and Muslim religious bodies.

Since taking office, Ben Gvir has entered the site more than a dozen times. He has previously used Tisha B'Av gatherings to call for tougher action against Palestinians in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Israeli government has publicly said its policy on the status quo remains unchanged, even as incidents such as Thursday's continue to inflame the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.