Israeli extremist and Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and a bandwagon of settlers stormed the sacred al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday morning, under heavy protection from Israeli police officers and occupation forces, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported. 

Ben-Gvir made his way into the compound through the al-Magharba gate and walked through the eastern quarter, accompanied by a large number of Israeli officers. 

Concurrently, Israeli authorities banned all Muslim worshipers from entering the compound.

This is the third time that Ben-Gvir has provoked Palestinians in less than a year by storming the holy site with other Israeli settlers under IOF protection.

Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir storms the courtyards of #alAqsa Mosque, while Israeli occupation police block worshipers from accessing the mosque. pic.twitter.com/r3XYIcGNMS

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 18, 2024

Al-Aqsa Mosque at risk of Jewish extremists

On this occasion, the Israeli police minister violated the compound by practicing provocative rituals in the holy site and filmed a video of himself demanding increased military pressure against the Palestinian Resistance in the Gaza Strip. 

Ben-Gvir and other extremists refer to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound as the Temple Mount, where a third and final temple should be erected, according to an end-of-times prophecy. 

Jewish extremists have made a point of Judaizing Islamic and Christian sites across occupied Palestine, especially in occupied al-Quds. Their continuous efforts threaten the historical significance and religious sanctity of sites such as the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil and Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in al-Quds. 

Judaization has not only affected religious sites but has also targeted living quarters and neighborhoods in al-Quds that have been demographically and aesthetically altered by Israeli governments. 

Read more: West Bank: detention campaigns, domicide, Judaization of land

Israeli forces launch wide-scale arrest campaign in West Bank 

Elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli occupation forces launched widespread raids across various governorates in the occupied territory. 

In the city of Nablus, occupation forces detained two sisters after storming their home on Thursday. 

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Nablus said that they confronted occupation forces invading al-Ein refugee camp and those going through al-Mureij street. 

In Ramallah, occupation forces arrested multiple young men from the village of Deir Abu Mashal and four young men from the town of Silwad. Meanwhile, in Qalqilya, Palestinian fighters fired at occupation military vehicles near the separation wall in the eastern West Bank, in the town of Azzun early this morning.

In al-Khalil, occupation forces launched a raid campaign in the towns of Beit Kahil and Bani Na'im, as well as the town of Halhul, arresting six Palestinians.

Read more: Prisoners orgs. release new statistics on detainees across Palestine