Condemnations Mount Following Israeli Provocative Incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque
The incursion, viewed as a deliberate provocation by Palestinians, was part of the annual Flag March commemorating Israel’s 1967 occupation of the city.
According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, the group of settlers included hawkish Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his wife, among other Zionist officials. The event was overseen by the Israeli military, who reportedly facilitated access to the compound via the Moroccan Gate.
WAFA, citing local sources, said approximately 1,500 settlers entered the Al-Aqsa grounds and engaged in Talmudic rituals, which are considered illegal and provocative.
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One individual reportedly raised an Israeli flag and danced in the compound’s eastern section, drawing sharp condemnation from Palestinian officials who described the acts as deeply inflammatory. Videos on social media showed other settlers participating in religious rites inside the compound.
Witnesses also told WAFA that several settlers attempted to smuggle Torah scrolls into the compound. Additional gatherings took place at the Western Wall plaza and near Bab al-Qattanin, where participants prayed and danced.
Tensions escalated further as Israeli security forces reportedly assaulted and forcibly removed several mosque guards. More than 200 Israeli personnel were deployed across the area to ensure settler access, WAFA said.
Elsewhere in the Old City, Israeli settlers marched through the narrow streets waving national flags, banging on the shutters of closed Palestinian-owned businesses, and chanting anti-Arab slogans, including “Death to Arabs” and “May your village burn,” according to footage shared by the Quds News Network and reports by Haaretz.
Several videos showed settlers harassing journalists and assaulting Palestinian residents, including a young man at Damascus Gate and women passing through the area.
Adding to the controversy, a group of settlers led by MK Julia Malinovsky of the Yisrael Beiteinu party stormed the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighborhood in East al-Quds. WAFA reported that the group called for the “control and occupation” of the site, attempting to lay claim to the compound for a future Israeli settlement.
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UNRWA’s West Bank and East al-Quds Director, Ronald Friedrich, wrote on X: “A group of Israelis led by a Member of Knesset and accompanied by Israeli media entered without authorisation into UNRWA’s compound in Sheikh Jarrah.” He added that they claimed to be "liberating" what they called a “former UNRWA headquarters,” but emphasized that, “under international law, East Jerusalem is occupied territory and its annexation by Israel is not recognized.”
Friedrich said the settlers raised Israeli flags and banners, attempting to symbolically repurpose the UN facility into an Israeli neighborhood.
Al-Aqsa Mosque, situated in East al-Quds is revered as Islam’s third holiest site after Mecca and Medina. Since Israel’s occupation of the city in the 1967 war, the area has remained a flashpoint of religious and political tension. While non-Muslim visits are permitted under a status quo agreement, non-Muslim prayers are officially prohibited — a rule observers say is increasingly being violated with tacit Israeli support.
International Condemnation Mounts
Turkey
Turkey denounced the Al-Aqsa Mosque incursion as “a manifestation of Israel's ongoing policies of genocide and forced displacement against the Palestinian people.”
In a sharply worded statement, Ankara said the Israeli regime was seeking to alter “the historical and demographic identity of the occupied Palestinian territories,” calling the incident a blatant provocation by Israeli officials and extremist settlers.
Jordan
Jordan, which holds custodianship over Al-Aqsa, slammed the incursion by Ben-Gvir, stating: “The practices of this extremist minister... do not negate the fact that East al-Quds is an occupied city over which Israel has no sovereignty.” The kingdom reiterated that Israeli actions violate international law and the site’s sanctity.
Hamas
Hamas condemned the settler storming as “a blatant violation of the sanctity and status of Al-Aqsa Mosque.” The group vowed that Palestinians would continue to defend the holy site and resist any attempts to divide or Judaize the compound.
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
The OIC warned the incursion was a “deliberate escalation” and a direct affront to Muslim religious sentiment worldwide. It reaffirmed Al-Aqsa Mosque “in its entirety” is exclusively for Muslim worship and urged global powers to stop repeated violations of the site's sanctity.
Qatar
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry declared that the actions at Al-Aqsa were a provocation “to over two billion Muslims around the world.” It cautioned that Israel’s “continued escalationist policies,” including the Gaza war, risk fueling broader regional instability and violence.
Source: Agencies
