Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem on May 14, 2026, during the annual Jerusalem Day flag march, under heavy military and police protection [1, 2]. Ben-Gvir entered the site, which includes the Dome of the Rock mosque, raising the Israeli flag and dancing with right-wing Israeli marchers [2]. Earlier in the day, he performed Talmudic prayers within the Al-Aqsa courtyards before the main march began [2].
Knesset member Yitzhak Kroizer from Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party also entered the compound on the same day and raised the Israeli flag there [2]. An official with the Islamic Waqf Department estimated that around 620 Israeli settlers stormed the mosque under police protection during the march [2].
The Jerusalem Day flag march drew about 50,000 Israeli participants celebrating the 1967 Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, a status considered illegal under international law [1, 2]. Since 2003, Israeli police have permitted Israeli settlers to enter the Al-Aqsa compound daily except Fridays and Saturdays, according to reports [2]. The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs reported 30 Israeli incursions into the mosque in April 2026 alone [2].
Palestinians assert that Israel is intensifying efforts to Judaize East Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which they claim erases Arab and Islamic identity. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state and reject Israeli occupation and annexation dating back to 1967 and 1980 respectively [2].
Ben-Gvir staged a similar incursion into the Al-Aqsa compound just four days earlier on May 10, 2026, where he performed Talmudic prayers along with Israeli settlers in the courtyards [2]. The May 14 march and storming of the mosque underscore continuing tensions over the contested religious and political status of East Jerusalem.
No further large-scale events related to the Jerusalem Day march have been announced.
