Israeli minister storms Al-Aqsa compound and threatens prisoner

    Itamar Ben-Gvir, the leader of a far-right party, has sparked a new double scandal

    Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has led a major incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.

    Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, showed up at the compound on Sunday to mark the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Jews call the area around the mosque Temple Mount, as it used to house two Jewish temples in ancient times before becoming the third holiest site for Muslims.

    The minister was accompanied by a heavily armed security detail, as well as backed up by crowds of Israeli civilians. A total of 1,143 Israelis breached the compound in several successive groups, according to the Jerusalem Governorate of the Palestinian Authority.

    Ben-Gvir was seen brandishing a massive Torah scroll and performing Talmudic rituals while onlookers cheered, footage from the scene shows.

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