Hundreds of settlers storm Islam’s third holiest site under heavy police guard, in blatant provocation condemned by Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian leadership.
In a dangerous escalation condemned across the Muslim world, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led over 1,200 illegal settlers in storming the sacred precincts of Masjid Al-Aqsa on Sunday, desecrating the third holiest site in Islam through chants, Talmudic rituals, and forced entry, all under the protection of heavily armed Israeli occupation forces.
The raid, launched on the occasion of Tisha B’Av (Jewish Mourning Day) was a direct violation of international law, the historical status quo, and the sanctity that Al-Aqsa commands for over 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide. The Islamic Waqf, the rightful custodian of the site under international agreement, reported that settlers danced, prayed, and provocatively chanted slogans asserting Jewish ownership over the site, which sits atop occupied East Jerusalem.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that occupation forces forcibly removed Palestinian worshippers, attacked Al-Aqsa security personnel, and prevented journalists from documenting the incursion. Speaking from within the compound, Ben-Gvir declared:
“The Temple Mount is for Jews, and we will remain here forever.”
Muslim governments and rights groups swiftly condemned his inflammatory remarks as incitement and blasphemy against Islamic sanctities.
A Deliberate Attack on Islamic Identity
Palestinian religious authorities and political leaders denounced the invasion as part of an ongoing Zionist plan to Judaise Al-Quds, which refers to efforts to erase the Islamic identity of Jerusalem and impose exclusive Jewish control over the city’s religious and cultural heritage. The Jerusalem Governorate called the raid “a calculated desecration of Al-Aqsa’s sanctity and a grave assault on the rights of Muslim worshippers.”
The incident came just hours after Ben-Gvir led another settler march through occupied East Jerusalem at midnight, further reinforcing what Palestinian scholars describe as a coordinated attempt to provoke religious war and prepare the ground for the construction of a so-called “Third Temple,” a project rooted in Zionist ideology that seeks to replace Islamic heritage with settler mythology.
The Muslim World Reacts
The response from the Islamic Ummah was swift:
- Saudi Arabia condemned the storming as a “provocative and unlawful violation of the sanctity of Islamic holy sites,” urging the international community to act decisively.
- Jordan issued a sharp rebuke, calling it “a flagrant breach of the historical and legal status quo,” and emphasized that Israel has no sovereignty over the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- The Palestinian Authority and Hamas both called for urgent international protection of Al-Aqsa, warning that such incursions are fueling religious conflict and pushing the region to the brink of wider unrest.
A Pattern of Oppression and Erasure
This is not an isolated incident but part of a broader Israeli campaign to erase Palestinian presence and Islamic heritage in Al-Quds. Since the illegal occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, the Zionist regime has expanded settler colonies, militarized the Old City, and repeatedly targeted Islamic sites, all in violation of international law, UN resolutions, and the sentiments of the global Muslim community.
The increasing presence of armed settlers, backed by state power, inside Al-Aqsa is a clear desecration of a mosque revered by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and all Muslims. The push by Zionist groups to turn the site into a Jewish temple is viewed by scholars as a declaration of religious war.
Ben-Gvir’s repeated calls for the full occupation of Gaza and the “voluntary migration” (i.e., expulsion) of Palestinians reflect genocidal intent, and his presence inside Al-Aqsa is viewed as a symbolic act of religious conquest.
An Urgent Islamic and Human Duty
The ongoing desecration of Masjid Al-Aqsa cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. Silence in the face of such aggression is complicity. It is now imperative for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Al-Azhar, Muslim governments, and global civil society to:
- Demand an immediate halt to all settler incursions.
- Take diplomatic and economic action against the Zionist regime.
- Mobilize at the UN, ICC, and ICJ to protect Islamic heritage under international law.
“سُبْحَانَ ٱلَّذِي أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَى ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ”
[Surah Al-Isra, 17:1]A reminder that Al-Aqsa is not just Palestinian land, it is sacred trust for all Muslims.
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