The Day Ben Gvir Raised the Flag Over Al-Aqsa

The day's coverage was dominated by Minister Ben Gvir's storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and raising the Israeli flag, reported by multiple sources in the early afternoon. This occurred ahead of the annual flag march, with hundreds of settlers already performing Talmudic prayers at the site earlier. The Mufti of Jerusalem condemned the act as an attempt to impose sovereignty. In parallel, Fatah's eighth conference opened in the morning, re-electing Mahmoud Abbas as leader by acclamation by evening. The conference was framed as a pivotal moment for the movement amid existential risks. Meanwhile, the 'Steadfast Fleet' launched from Turkey with over 50 vessels to break the Gaza siege, and settler violence continued in the West Bank with a youth killed near Nablus. Israeli ceasefire violations in Gaza persisted, with four reported dead in Jabalia.