Overview

• Itamar Ben-Gvir appeared at the Al-Aqsa/Temple Mount compound during Sukkot and released a video asserting, "We are the owners of the Temple Mount."
• He called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pursue a "complete victory" in Gaza, including the destruction of Hamas and the return of hostages.
• His remarks were issued as Israel and Hamas engaged in indirect talks in Egypt seeking a hostage-release deal and an end to the war.
• The compound operates under a long-standing arrangement in which a Jordanian Islamic Waqf administers the site and non-Muslim prayer is barred.
• Ben-Gvir, a hardline minister who leads the Jewish Power party, has previously challenged the rules there, prompting Netanyahu to reaffirm Israel's commitment to the status quo.