Hundreds of settlers began entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound after the start of the Jewish religious observance of Tisha B’Av. The Jewish observance began on Wednesday evening. Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, also entered the mosque compound.
According to the Islamic Waqf department in Jerusalem, the number of settlers entering exceeded 2,300. They entered the compound under heavy Israeli security.
Palestinian officials said Israeli forces imposed strict restrictions at Al-Aqsa’s entrances, so that large numbers of Palestinian worshippers were not allowed in, students were turned away and several worshippers were assaulted.
The Palestinian administration of the Jerusalem governorate described Ben-Gvir’s entry into Al-Aqsa as a “dangerous escalation.” It said this showed that acts previously carried out by extremist right-wingers now have the direct backing of the Israeli government.
Strong condemnation from Jordan and Hamas
Jordan and Hamas, the armed Palestinian resistance group in Gaza, have strongly condemned the entries into the Al-Aqsa compound.
The spokesman for Jordan’s foreign ministry, Ambassador Fuad Majali, warned that such steps violate the historic and legal “status quo.” Amman called on the international community to press Israel to stop such continued violations at the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
Condemning it likewise, Hamas said the response to this open aggression would fall on the occupying forces and their settlers. In a statement the group said: “Our country’s people and the resistance forces will not sit silent in the face of this desecration of our holy places.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report