Israeli national security minister leads raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led 1,300 Israelis on an incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque on October 8th, the Middle East Eye via Wafa news agency reported.

Under the protection of armed security guards, Ben-Gvir and the Israeli ultra-nationalists conducted Jewish religious rituals in the mosque’s courtyard, which completely violated the internationally recognised status quo of the site as exclusively Muslim.

Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is located in Occupied Jerusalem, is widely recognised as an exclusively Islamic place of worship, where only Muslims are allowed to pray.

In a post on X, Ben-Gvir said: “We are the owners of the house on the Temple Mount. I only pray that our Prime Minister will allow a full victory in Gaza as well – to destroy Hamas, God willing, to return the hostages, and we will achieve an absolute victory.”

The October 8th incursion by 1,300 Israelis came one day after 500 settlers stormed the mosque on October 7th, most likely to mark the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Ben-Gvir’s storming of the mosque occurred on the second day of Sukkot, a Jewish holiday that began on October 7th. Meanwhile, the Israeli monitor, the Ir Amim Association, raised concerns that Israel was increasingly exploiting Jewish holidays to heighten Jewish presence in the area.

Israeli settlers often mark “Jerusalem Day”, which celebrates Israel’s 1967 occupation of the West Bank, by storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

This year’s Jerusalem Day occurred on May 26th, which was marked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publishing a video of himself walking through a tunnel underneath the mosque.

The National Security Minister is a leading figure in the Otzma Yehudit (“Jewish Power”) political party. He initially left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over the government’s announcement of a ceasefire with Hamas last year, but later rejoined the government.

It was reported on June 11th that Ben-Gvir, along with Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, were sanctioned by the UK government over what Downing Street called “their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians.”

These sanctions, imposed by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in tandem with Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway, involved a travel ban and asset freeze for the two Israeli ministers.

Middle East Eye via Wafa, Maghrebi.org