Arab and Muslim countries condemn Israeli storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported that eight Arab and Muslim-majority countries condemned a large entry by Israeli settlers and far-right groups into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, July 23, 2026. The foreign ministers of Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement criticizing what they described as mass incursions into the Noble Sanctuary under Israeli police protection.

According to the report, more than 4,200 Israeli settlers and members of far-right groups entered the compound to mark Tisha B’Av, a Jewish day of mourning linked in religious tradition to the destruction of ancient temples believed to have stood at the site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount. Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also entered the area with heavy police protection, Al Jazeera said.

The joint statement said such actions deepen tensions, encourage extremism and undermine efforts toward a two-state peace framework. It also accused Israel of trying to change the longstanding legal and historical arrangements governing Jerusalem’s holy sites and called for restrictions on Muslim access to be lifted. Palestinian officials, as cited by Al Jazeera, said Israeli forces limited entry at the gates, blocked many worshippers and students, and assaulted several people.

The compound is among the most sensitive religious and political sites in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Al Jazeera noted that East Jerusalem was captured by Israel in 1967 and annexed in 1980, while the Jordanian-appointed Jerusalem Waqf administers Al-Aqsa under the status quo arrangement.