Israeli ministers lead settlers' storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

More than 900 Israeli settlers, led by two government ministers, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Monday under heavy police protection.

• Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led the storming of more than 900 settlers, the Jerusalem Governorate said.
• The two ministers performed Talmudic rituals in the eastern section of the compound under police guard, the Governorate added.
• 1,500 settlers and rabbis stormed the site on Sunday, holding prayers and rituals near Bab al-Qattanin, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
• Israeli authorities closed Jerusalem's exits to the West Bank and tightened checkpoints, disrupting the movement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
• Jordan's Foreign Ministry condemned the storming as a flagrant violation of international law and an unacceptable provocation.
• Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the third-day incursions were a failed attempt to impose new facts that would not grant the occupation legitimacy.
• The Arab League condemned an Israeli police experiment permitting 15 settlers to bring the Jewish prayer book Siddur into the mosque compound.
• Ben-Gvir declared, "We are the owners of the place in Al-Aqsa," as about 900 people entered the compound dancing and singing.
• Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned the raid as "playing with fire" and a dangerous provocation.
• The PLO's Jerusalem Affairs Department called the storming an unprecedented escalation, urging international action rather than mere condemnation.
• The department said about 1,271 settlers entered the compound on Monday, performing prayers and rituals.
• 1,792 settlers stormed the compound on Monday under the pretext of the Sukkot holiday, holding collective raids, offerings, singing, and Jewish prayers inside.