Palestinian warnings are mounting over plans by settler “Temple” groups to carry out a large-scale storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday, coinciding with what they call the anniversary of the “destruction of the Temple”.
The groups are seeking to mobilise around 5,000 settlers to enter the mosque compound in a single day.
Concerns are not limited to the scale of the planned incursion. It follows a year in which public Jewish prayers and religious rituals were performed inside Al-Aqsa’s courtyards. Several months ago, Israeli police also permitted the entry of a booklet containing Jewish prayer texts, despite previously confiscating such materials.
The Jerusalem Governorate says these developments can no longer be dismissed as the actions of isolated extremist groups. It argues that they have become part of an “official Israeli policy” aimed at imposing new realities and undermining the mosque’s historic and legal status.
What Is the 5,000-Settler Plan?
The “Temple” groups are mobilising for the storming on 23 July, aiming to exceed the number recorded during the same occasion last year, when around 4,000 settlers entered the mosque compound in one day.
According to the Jerusalem Governorate, these groups have worked since 2021 to increase participation gradually.
The number rose from around 2,200 settlers in both 2022 and 2023 to 3,000 in 2024, then approximately 4,000 in 2025. This year, the stated target is 5,000.
The figure represents more than a numerical increase. It reflects an attempt to expand the settler presence inside the mosque, pressure the authorities to permit larger groups and longer entry periods, and normalise more Jewish rituals within its courtyards.
What Is Tisha B’Av, and Why Does It Fall in July?
The occasion is known in Judaism as Tisha B’Av, referring to the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, rather than the Gregorian month of August.
This year, it begins on the evening of Wednesday, 22 July, and ends on the evening of Thursday, 23 July. Jews observe the occasion in remembrance of the destruction of the two temples, according to Jewish tradition.
In recent years, the occasion has become one of the main periods for organised settler incursions into Al-Aqsa.
“Temple” groups use it to mobilise supporters in large numbers and encourage them to perform prayers and rituals inside the mosque compound.
Why Are the Concerns About More Than Numbers?
Thursday’s planned storming follows a series of developments that have expanded the space available for Jewish rituals inside Al-Aqsa.
During the 2025 incursion marking the same occasion, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that he had prayed inside the mosque’s courtyards.
Israeli media reported that he led a public prayer, while settlers were also recorded performing prostration rituals, singing and raising Israeli flags.
In January 2026, Israeli police allowed a booklet containing instructions and texts for Jewish prayer to be brought into the compound, despite previously confiscating such materials.
Palestinian bodies say these steps are shifting the issue from permitting visits to actively expanding Jewish religious rituals inside the mosque.
The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, also pointed to a symbol used by settler groups that was drawn on stones in the eastern courtyard amid calls for the latest storming.
Is the Change on the Ground Becoming Official Policy?
The Israeli government claims that it remains committed to the existing status quo.
Under that arrangement, the Jordanian-administered Islamic Waqf manages Al-Aqsa Mosque, while Israeli police control its entrances. Non-Muslims are permitted to visit but not to pray inside.
In practice, however, recent years have seen increasing tolerance of Jewish prayer, prostration, singing and the entry of religious texts.
This has created a widening gap between the Israeli government’s public position and what its forces permit on the ground.
The Jerusalem Governorate says this process is accompanied by growing political support.
According to its statement, a conference was held in the Knesset in mid-July with the participation of three ministers and seven members of parliament, where calls were made to change the existing status quo.
The police force that manages the incursions also falls under the Ministry of National Security, headed by Ben-Gvir, one of the most prominent advocates of expanding Jewish prayer inside Al-Aqsa.
How Have Palestinian Bodies Responded?
Hamas warned against attempts to Judaise Al-Aqsa Mosque and alter the religious and historical identity of Jerusalem.
It said Israel “will not succeed in imposing a Judaic reality or stripping Al-Aqsa Mosque of its Arab and Islamic identity”.
The movement called on Palestinians to head to Al-Aqsa, increase prayers and maintain a continuous presence inside it.
It also urged Arab and Islamic states, as well as religious and human rights bodies, to take practical action.
The Jerusalem Governorate warned that the planned incursion could become the largest collective storming of the mosque to date, while the Islamic Waqf continues to demand an end to the incursions.
The governorate stressed that the entire 144-dunam area of Al-Aqsa Mosque is exclusively an Islamic place of worship, and that all measures seeking to change its identity or its historic and legal status are invalid.
What Should Be Watched on Thursday?
Attention will focus on the number of settlers the “Temple” groups succeed in mobilising, the nature of the rituals Israeli police allow inside the mosque, and any restrictions imposed on Palestinian access.
Observers will also be watching for the possible participation of Israeli ministers or members of the Knesset.
These indicators will show whether Thursday’s storming is merely an attempt to set a new numerical record, or another step towards entrenching practices that were previously recognised as violations of Al-Aqsa’s established status.
