OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
Hamas Movement confirmed that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) will not succeed in imposing new equations or changing the historical identity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, stressing that Palestinians will not relinquish their rights and sanctities, and they will continue to remain steadfast in facing the IOA measures.
Hamas denounced the storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque by the extremist right-wing Israeli minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, considering that the step represents a practical translation of the occupation government policy aimed at Judaizing Al-Aqsa Mosque and the city of Jerusalem, and establishing official incursions into the Mosque as a fait accompli.
The Movement said that the occupation government continues its policies towards Al-Aqsa Mosque regardless of any international warnings, decisions, or appeals, noting that the repeated and escalating incursions are accompanied by a broad campaign of restrictions against Palestinians in Jerusalem.
It added that the Israeli measures include the arrest of the male and female Mourabitoun and their deportation from Al-Aqsa Mosque, in an attempt to empty it of activists, in preparation for expanding control over it and leaving it an easy prey for settlers.
Hamas called on Arab and Islamic countries to extend various forms of support and backing for the cause of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, and also called on Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Green Line to intensify their presence and Ribat in Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings, and to confront the IOA plans and settlers.
The storming by the terrorist Wasserlauf comes a day after twenty-two ministers and deputies in the Israeli Knesset signed a petition demanding the occupation police to allow settlers to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque next Friday, which coincides with the annual anniversary of the occupation of Jerusalem and with the commemoration of the Nakba.
The petition was signed by nine ministers and thirteen members of the Knesset, most of them from the Likud Party, along with three from the Religious Zionism party, and it was addressed to the Jerusalem police leadership to demand facilitating the incursions on May 15, 2026, under the slogan of showing Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.
The signatures included prominent government figures, among them the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin, in addition to other ministers in various portfolios.
The petition included demands to open Al-Aqsa Mosque for incursions as what was described as an assertion of Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem, while proposing an alternative option represented in opening it exceptionally on Thursday evening in case that is not possible on Friday, which are demands similar to a previous petition submitted at the beginning of this month.
