Hamas says Ben Gvir’s visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque complex is ‘dangerous escalation’

Hamas condemned the visit today by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Jerusalem, calling it a “provocative and dangerous escalation.”

The efforts by “the terrorist government led by the war criminal Netanyahu [aims] to Judaize the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and impose a fait accompli on the holy city,” the group said in a statement.

“We call on our Palestinian people and our rebellious youth in the West Bank to escalate the situation of engagement with this arrogant enemy everywhere in defence of our land and holy sites,” said Hamas.

The group also called on Arab and Muslim states “to stop these systematic violations [and] take urgent steps to force the criminal occupation to stop its crimes against our Palestinian people and our Islamic and Christian holy sites”.

For decades, a delicate status quo has governed worship and visits to the site, permitting only Muslims to pray in its courtyards and prayer halls.

However, Israel has long ignored this delicate arrangement between Jordan – the custodian of Islamic and Christian sites in Jerusalem – and Israel, and bypassed the Waqf.