More than 2,300 Israelis enter Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem during Tisha B'Av

More than 2,300 Israelis entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday in one of the largest incursions reported at the site this year. The entry took place during Tisha B'Av, a Jewish day of mourning, and came under heavy police protection. Palestinian officials said the number of entrants could rise further before sundown.

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The Jerusalem governorate said the initial figure covered a three-hour period and warned that the total could reach 5,000 by the end of the day. It said far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also entered the compound, alongside settlers and other far-right groups. Palestinian officials said Israeli forces imposed tight restrictions at the mosque gates, barred many Palestinian worshippers and students from entering, and assaulted several worshippers.

The governorate said Israeli settlers carried out religious rituals inside the compound, including prostration, singing and prayer. Israeli media reported that police allowed more than 1,000 Israelis to pray at the site on Thursday. Under a 1967 arrangement, non-Muslims may visit the compound, which is Islam's third holiest site, but they are not permitted to pray there.

That arrangement remains central to repeated tensions at the site, which Jews know as the Temple Mount. The latest entry is significant because the compound is one of the most sensitive religious and political flashpoints in Jerusalem. Any large-scale access by Jewish visitors, especially when accompanied by senior political figures, is closely watched by Palestinians, Israeli authorities and regional actors.

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The timing on Tisha B'Av adds further sensitivity because the day is linked in Jewish tradition to mourning the destruction of ancient temples believed to have stood at the site. Ben-Gvir said Jews visiting the site on Tisha B'Av "feel like the owners" and praised what he called "tremendous progress" there, according to the report. The Jerusalem governorate described his presence as a dangerous escalation and said it reflected official backing for actions previously associated with groups that support rebuilding a Jewish temple at the compound.

A correspondent in Ramallah said Israeli authorities had taken extreme measures in the Old City, including limiting access to the compound to the elderly and tightening checkpoints such as those at Qalandiya and around East Jerusalem. What remains unclear is whether the total number of entrants will reach the governorate's estimate of 5,000 by sundown. It is also not clear whether the reported restrictions and assaults will prompt any immediate diplomatic or security response.

The situation is likely to remain fluid through the rest of the day as access rules, police deployment and worshipper movement continue to shape events at the compound.

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