New Delhi, July 24 -- JERUSALEM - Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir marched into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Wednesday under heavy police escort as more than 4,200 Israeli settlers and far-right activists stormed the site in one of the year's largest incursions, prompting a rare joint condemnation from eight Arab and Muslim nations and drawing a warning from the United Nations that the violations amounted to an attempt to change the legal status quo of the holy city.

The storming took place on Tisha B'Av, a Jewish fast day that has become an annual flashpoint at the mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli forces barred Palestinian worshippers and students from entering the compound, and Palestinian offici...