Meknes – Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday, triggering international condemnation amid the ongoing Gaza conflict.
Ben-Gvir entered the sacred site with over 24 settlers under heavy police protection, just days before the Jewish Passover holiday scheduled for April 12-20, according to an official from Jerusalem’s Islamic Endowments Department.
The Israeli minister’s storming of Al Aqsa mosque comes as Israel intensifies its genocidal offensives against Palestinian civilians in the war-torn Gaza.
Hamas called the raid “a dangerous escalation” within Israel’s “genocidal war against the Palestinian people.” The Palestinian group urged Palestinians to confront Israeli forces to defend the site and called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League to take action against Israel’s “systematic violations.”
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry immediately rebuked the storming as “a deliberate provocation” that violates the mosque’s “established historical and legal status quo.” Israel holds “no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites,” he said.
Saudi Arabia joined in criticizing Israel’s “continued blatant attacks on the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque” and its “violations of international law,” while reaffirming its rejection of any actions threatening Jerusalem’s historical and legal status.
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Egypt also denounced the intrusion as a “provocation of the sentiments of Muslims worldwide” and recalled Al Aqsa Mosque’s longstanding status “an exclusive worship place for Muslims.”
This provocation marks Ben-Gvir’s sixth storming of the Al Aqsa since joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in 2022.
Israeli authorities have severely restricted Palestinian access from the West Bank to East Jerusalem since the start of their genocidal campaign in Gaza in October 2023.
Many Palestinians view these limitations as part of Israel’s broader campaign to Judaize East Jerusalem and erase its Arab and Islamic heritage.
Israel has allowed settlers into this disputed area almost daily since 2003, except on Fridays and Saturdays.
While Muslims honor Al Aqsa mosque as their third-holiest site, Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount, claiming it was the location of two ancient Jewish temples.
