Israeli crowds storm Al-Aqsa Mosque, West Bank villages on Jewish holiday
Al Jazeera
Far-right government minister joins march on Al-Aqsa in occupied East Jerusalem on Jewish mourning day Tisha B’Av.
Israeli crowds have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, as well as villages in the occupied West Bank, as they marked a Jewish holiday.
Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led a crowd of thousands into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday and performed prayers. Despite Jewish religious rites being banned at the location, Israeli police reportedly offered protection, as well as to illegal settlers involved in violence in the West Bank.
Ben-Gvir promised to “defeat Hamas” in Gaza in a video he filmed during his visit and prayers.
Al-Aqsa is Islam’s third holiest site and a symbol of Palestinian national identity but it is also Judaism’s holiest place. Tisha B’Av is a Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of the site of an ancient temple by the Romans in 70 AD.
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