Ben Gvir raids Al-Aqsa as Israel plans to reopen mosque to settler incursions
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir raided Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday while Muslims remain barred, as police plan to reopen the site to allow settlers to resume daily incursions.
Israeli media reported that the police, overseen by Ben Gvir, prepared a plan to admit up to 150 Israelis or Muslims at a time, which has drawn widespread criticism from Palestinian bodies.
Al-Quds International Institution said the plan “deepens the division of Al-Aqsa Mosque” between Muslims and Jews.
“It uses the war to transform Al-Aqsa into a shared Jewish-Islamic holy site as a prelude to its complete Judaization,” the foundation said in a statement on Monday.
It added that the move would place Ben Gvir in effective control of the mosque’s affairs, sidelining the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, which holds recognised exclusive administrative authority, including control over access.
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“This represents a Zionist insult to Arab and Muslim kings, presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers - who have limited themselves to verbal appeals - reducing them to mere onlookers awaiting Ben Gvir’s discretion over one of their holiest sites,” the statement said.
“This is a deeply shameful and unacceptable stance that the Muslim nation must not accept.”
According to the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, Ben Gvir entered the mosque courtyards on Monday evening through the Moroccan Gate under heavy Israeli police protection.
'If implemented, Al-Aqsa Mosque will effectively be closed to Muslims and open to settler incursions. This is a humiliating act of aggression'
- Al-Quds International Institution
His raid comes as Israeli authorities continue to bar Muslim worshippers from accessing the mosque - one of Islam’s holiest sites - for more than a month in an unprecedented closure.
Israeli authorities cite security concerns linked to the war on Iran, but Palestinians question these claims, particularly as large Jewish holiday gatherings have been permitted elsewhere.
Palestinian lawyer Khaled Zabarqa said it is now clear that Israel is "exploiting the war with Iran" to alter the realities at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"The primary aim is to consolidate Israeli sovereignty and administration over Al-Aqsa, while transforming the mosque into a shared space between Jews and Muslims ahead of an official recognition of Jewish prayer areas in its courtyards," Zabarqa told Middle East Eye.
"It is evident to all observers that Israel is serious about advancing its project to build the Third Temple on the ruins of Al-Aqsa, working around the clock with full coordination across political, judicial, military, intelligence, and police institutions."
The Palestinian ministry of religious affairs said Ben Gvir’s incursion while the mosque remains closed constitutes “a highly dangerous step that undermines the religious and spiritual sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the absence of Muslim worshippers”.
Ben Gvir was also condemned by Hamas, which said his raid "reflects a deepening of the occupation’s arrogance and its deliberate targeting of the mosque’s sanctity".
The move was also criticised by Jordan, Qatar and Turkey.
Muslim-Jewish division
Ben Gvir’s raid coincides with a police proposal to reopen the mosque, allowing up to 150 Muslim worshippers or Israeli Jewish ultra-nationalists to enter at a time.
The far-right minister said on Sunday that, since anti-war protests of up to 600 people had been allowed, he was “obliged to ensure justice and prevent discrimination” against worshippers seeking access to the Western Wall and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
“The High Court must allow access both to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall in small groups,” he added, using the Israeli term for Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Before the war on Iran, Israeli settlers routinely entered Al-Aqsa under heavy police protection twice daily, except on weekends, in violation of the long-standing status quo. This arrangement stipulates that the mosque is an Islamic site administered by Muslim authorities and should remain as such.
Israeli forces have regularly breached this arrangement, not least by facilitating daily incursions by ultra-nationalists, in what Palestinians say is an effort to take over the mosque.
These incursions - paused at the start of the war - typically took place in two shifts: from 7:30am to 10:30am, and from 1pm to 2pm local time.
Under heavy police guard, settlers enter the mosque courtyards in small groups, usually fewer than 100 people.
The new proposal, which still requires High Court approval, would raise that number to 150, while the mosque remains effectively emptied of Muslim worshippers. The increase has been welcomed by Arnon Segal, a prominent ultranationalist activist in Temple Mount groups, who organise such raids.
“Allowing ‘small groups of only 150 people’ onto the Temple Mount is more than the maximum group size Jews have ever been allowed,” he wrote on X, calling it a “dream”.
“A historic development that is by no means self-evident.”
According to Al-Quds International Institution, reopening the mosque under this framework would normalise settler incursions while severely restricting Muslim worship.
“In practice, this means the mosque will be fully open to incursions while remaining effectively closed to Muslims, as the limited number does not even fill the first row in the Qibli Mosque within a complex covering 144,000 square metres,” the foundation said, referring to the largest indoor prayer space.
Before the unprecedented ban on Muslim worshippers, the mosque accommodated thousands for the five daily prayers, alongside visitors and students. On Fridays, hundreds of thousands of worshippers fill its courtyards.
The foundation warned of “serious consequences” and called on Palestinians and Muslim countries to act.
It also singled out Jordan, the internationally recognised custodian of holy sites in Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa.
“We renew our call on the Jordanian authorities, and the Jerusalem Waqf in particular, to take the initiative in confronting attempts to eliminate their role in Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the foundation said.
“If implemented, Al-Aqsa Mosque will effectively be closed to Muslims and open to settler incursions. This is a humiliating act of aggression and an unacceptable reality that must be confronted by all possible means.”
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