Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right politician, led hundreds of Israelis in an incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday, under police protection. Ben-Gvir stated, "We are the owners of the place in Al-Aqsa and in the prisons, and we have turned the lives of terrorist prisoners into hell." The Jerusalem governorate reported that Israeli forces closed surrounding streets, and 900 people entered the compound. This intrusion, occurring on the third day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, led to dozens of Palestinian shopkeepers being forced to close their businesses and residents restricted to their homes. Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned the act as "playing with fire and a dangerous provocation to the feelings of Muslims around the world," warning of a potential "religious war."