GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Hamas Movement condemned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s raid into the courtyards of Aqsa Mosque on Monday and his performance of Talmudic rituals in the eastern courtyard opposite the Dome of the Rock, describing the move as a dangerous escalation targeting the Mosque’s identity and seeking to impose new realities at the holy site.
Local reports said Ben-Gvir entered Aqsa under heavy Israeli security protection, while 178 Jewish settlers raided its courtyards during the morning period.
In a statement, Hamas said Ben-Gvir’s repeated raids into Aqsa Mosque and his performance of Talmudic rituals near the Dome of the Rock represent a dangerous escalation in the Israeli government’s policy aimed at desecrating and Judaizing the mosque.
The Movement warned that Israeli leaders could exploit the period leading up to the upcoming Israeli elections to escalate attacks against Palestinian land, the Palestinian people and holy sites.
Hamas: Aqsa raid violates Mosque’s sanctity
Hamas said the raid into Aqsa Mosque constitutes a blatant violation of its sanctity and shows disregard for Muslims’ religious sentiments and the Mosque’s sacred status throughout the Muslim world.
It stressed that the Palestinian people and resistance would not stand idly by in the face of the “desecration of holy sites.”
The Movement called on Palestinians in Occupied Jerusalem, the Palestinian territories inside Israel and the West Bank to intensify their presence at Aqsa Mosque, support the steadfastness of Jerusalemites and those maintaining a continuous presence at the Mosque, and confront plans aimed at imposing the temporal and spatial division and Judaization of Aqsa.
Hamas also called on Arab and Muslim countries and the international community to fulfill their responsibilities and take urgent action to halt ongoing Israeli violations against Aqsa Mosque and hold Israeli leaders accountable.
Aqsa raids escalate in 2026
Ben-Gvir’s latest raid comes amid a marked increase in raids and Jewish religious rituals inside Aqsa Mosque during 2026.
Recent reports indicate that such practices have expanded beyond settler raids to include direct and repeated participation by Israeli ministers and officials, amid attempts to impose new realities inside the mosque.
According to Jerusalem-based sources, Ben-Gvir has raided Aqsa Mosque 19 times since taking office. In recent months, the Mosque’s courtyards have witnessed Jewish prayers and Talmudic rituals, as well as the raising of Israeli flags, prompting Palestinian warnings over attempts to change the longstanding status quo at the holy site.
The developments have taken on additional significance ahead of the Knesset elections scheduled for late October 2026. Political analyses suggest that Aqsa Mosque has increasingly become an issue used by Israel’s right-wing and Religious Zionist movements in electoral competition, amid growing calls within those movements to alter the status quo and impose greater Israeli control over the mosque.
The latest developments follow large-scale raids into Aqsa in July, coinciding with what Israelis call the anniversary of the “destruction of the Temple.”
The raids included Jewish religious rituals and severe restrictions on Muslim worshippers seeking to enter the Mosque, prompting Palestinian warnings that Israel is seeking to entrench the temporal and spatial division of Aqsa Mosque.
