Far-right Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir and settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem with a group of settlers on 31 August 2026. The outlet says the visit took place at the contested site known to Muslims as Al-Aqsa Mosque and to Jews as the Temple Mount, and that it amounted to a breach of the long-standing status quo arrangement tied to administration of the holy place.

According to the report, Ben-Gvir has previously visited the compound, and this latest appearance was described as another in a series of provocative entries. The article frames the move as a violation of understandings that have been in place for decades between Israel and Jordan over access and religious control at the site.

The development matters because the compound is one of the most sensitive locations in Jerusalem and has often been a flashpoint in Israeli-Palestinian tensions. In general background terms, any change in visits or policing at the site can draw strong reactions from Palestinians, Jordan, and wider regional actors, although the specific response to this incident was not detailed in the source provided.

Al Jazeera did not provide further operational details in the snippet beyond Ben-Gvir’s presence with settlers and the claim that the status quo was violated.