Israeli Minister visits Al-Aqsa Mosque risking Gaza truce talks

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu visits troops in Gaza, amid escalating violence and tensions in the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to troops in southern Gaza on July 18, his office said, just days before he was set to give a speech to the U.S. Congress.

Mr. Netanyahu’s visit to the southern city of Rafah was announced hours after Israel’s far-right national Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. The move could disrupt sensitive talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire in the 9-month-old Israel-Hamas war. Tensions over the compound have fueled past rounds of violence.

Mr. Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist settler leader, said he had gone up to the contested Jerusalem hilltop compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray for the return of Israeli hostages "but without a reckless deal, without surrendering.” Israeli negotiators landed in Cairo on Wednesday to keep working on the talks.

The two leaders’ visits came hours after Israel’s parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. The vote, in an overnight session that lasted into Thursday morning, was largely symbolic and meant to send a message ahead of Mr. Netanyahu’s trip to the U.S.

Mr. Netanyahu's office announced his visit to Rafah once the Prime Minister had exited the war-torn Palestinian territory, with more details expected later Thursday. He has made at least two previous trips to see troops in Gaza, in November and December.

Israeli forces invaded Rafah in early May, forcing most of the 2 million Palestinians sheltering there to flee. Rafah, once a crucial entry point for humanitarian aid, is now a dusty ghost town full of bullet-riddled apartment buildings with blasted-out walls and shattered windows. Very few civilians remain.

Mr. Ben-Gvir said Thursday while standing in front of the golden dome of Al-Aqsa Mosque that he “is praying and working hard" to ensure that Mr. Netanyahu will not give in to international pressure and will continue with the military campaign in Gaza.