Far-right Israeli extremist minister breaks into Al-Aqsa Mosque amid tight security

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli far-right extremist politician and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday morning, surrounded by a large number of Israeli troops who also barred Palestinians from visiting the Muslims' holy site.

An official in the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem told Anadolu that Itamar Ben-Gvir took a provocative tour of the holy mosque's courtyards.

The official, who preferred not to be identified, added that Israeli forces prevented Palestinian faithful from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ben-Gvir's visit.

He broke into the holy mosque through its western Al-Mugharbah Gate area, which is usually used by illegal Israeli settlers to storm the mosque, Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported, citing local sources.

Ben-Gvir uploaded a video to his X account showing his storming of the mosque, claiming that he came to pray for the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza.

"I came here, to the most important place of the State of Israel and to the people of Israel, to pray for the return of the abductees to their home," Ben-Gvir said, adding "but without an illegitimate deal and surrender," affirming his rejection to any cease-fire deal with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas to halt the Israeli onslaughts on the Gaza Strip.

This is the fifth time he has forced his way into the mosque since becoming an Israeli minister in Dec. 2022.

Ben-Gvir, the head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), is notorious for inciting Israeli settlers to storm the mosque.

The Israeli authorities estimate that around 120 Israelis are held in Gaza, with Hamas saying dozens were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

So far, efforts by Qatar, Egypt and the US to mediate a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas have been hampered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas' call to halt hostilities.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

During the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Israel occupied East Jerusalem, which includes Al Aqsa mosque. It annexed the entire city in 1980, which was never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar