Türkiye has condemned "in strongest terms" a raid carried out by the Israeli minister, accompanied by an extremist group, under the protection of Israeli forces, on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"We condemn in the strongest terms the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by an Israeli minister, accompanied by a group of extremists and under the protection of Israeli security forces," said the foreign ministry in a statement on Thursday.
The statement reaffirmed that the global community has a shared responsibility to prevent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "provocative acts and attempts to create fait accompli that violate the historical and legal status of the holy sites in Jerusalem, particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque, a place of worship exclusively for Muslims."
More than 3,200 illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday morning as they marked the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av, commemorating what they call the “destruction of the Temple.”
The Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem said in a statement that 3,228 illegal settlers entered the compound during the morning period.
More illegal settlers were expected to enter the mosque after noon prayers.
Israel bars Palestinian worshippers
Videos circulated by Israeli right-wing activists showed illegal settlers performing collective prayers opposite the Dome of the Rock. Another clip showed the Israeli flag being raised inside the compound as participants sang the Israeli national anthem in the presence of Israeli police.
Earlier, the Jerusalem Governorate said in a Facebook post that Israeli police allowed the number of illegal settlers entering the compound in each group to increase to around 150.
Israeli forces imposed tight restrictions at the mosque’s gates and around occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City, deploying heavily across its courtyards and preventing Palestinian worshippers from entering, it added.
Only a very limited number of Palestinians managed to reach the mosque for dawn prayers before Israeli forces assaulted several worshippers and other residents, the statement said.
The governorate said illegal settlers “performed Talmudic rituals during the incursions, including wearing tefillin, carrying out full prostrations in the eastern section of the compound and chanting loudly.”
It added that “extremist groups advocating the construction of a Jewish temple at the site were mobilising supporters in an effort to bring 5,000 settlers into the compound” during Thursday’s incursions.
Ben-Gvir storms compound
The Jerusalem Governorate condemned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s storming of the compound as a “dangerous escalation” and a “flagrant violation” of its historical and legal status quo.
It said the move was part of “systematic targeting of Islamic holy sites” and attempts to impose new realities at the mosque.
The governorate said Ben-Gvir’s participation, alongside incursions by illegal Israeli settlers and groups advocating the construction of a “Jewish temple” at the site, marked a “dangerous shift” from attacks by extremist groups to the Israeli government’s official adoption of such actions.
It warned that the violations could have repercussions for regional security and stability, and urged the international community and international institutions to act to halt them.
The governorate stressed that the entire 144-dunam (35.6-acre) Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is “an exclusively Islamic place of worship,” saying any measures aimed at changing its identity or historical and legal status are “invalid and illegitimate.”
Likud party lawmaker Amit Halevi also stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday morning.
