Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, visited the Al-Aqsa compound on Wednesday, his spokesperson told AFP, as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas were being held in Egypt on ending the Gaza war.
The visit is Ben Gvir's eleventh as minister to the disputed area, located in occupied East Jerusalem, which contains Islam's third-holiest site and is Judaism's holiest place, revered as the location of the first and second Jewish temples.
Hamas condemned the visit, calling it a "deliberate provocation" that "violates the sanctity of Al-Aqsa and the feelings of Muslims worldwide."
The Palestinian group added the visit coincided with the "painful anniversary" of deadly clashes in Jerusalem on October 8, 1990, in which at least 15 Palestinians were killed.
In a video statement from the esplanade, Ben Gvir referred to the second anniversary of Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that sparked two years of war in Gaza.
"We are two years after the terrible massacre—here at the Temple Mount there is victory," Ben Gvir said.
"I only pray that our prime minister will allow a complete victory in Gaza as well—to destroy Hamas, with God's help, to bring back the hostages," he added.
Ben Gvir's visit was conducted as Israel and Hamas were engaging in the third day of indirect talks in Egypt to reach an end to the two-year war in Gaza.
The security minister has previously threatened to quit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government unless Hamas is destroyed.
Videos circulating on social media showed Ben Gvir walking on the esplanade accompanied by a group of religious Jews singing liturgical songs.
The Waqf, the Jordanian custodian of the site, said 1,300 "extremist Jews" went into the compound Wednesday morning.
Jordan's foreign ministry condemned the visit as "a flagrant violation" of the status quo at the compound, an unwritten agreement that forbids non-Muslim prayer on the site.
Ben Gvir's visit also coincided with the second day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, during which Jews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in ancient times.
In recent years, the status quo understanding between Israel and Jordan has been repeatedly violated by Jewish visitors, including members of the Israeli parliament.
Ben Gvir conducted a public prayer on the flashpoint site in August, on the occasion of Tisha B'Av, a fasting day to commemorate the destruction of the two Jewish temples.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem and annexed it in 1967, in a move not recognized by the vast majority of the international community.
With AFP
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