Ben Gvir storms Al-Aqsa Mosque amid continued closure to worshippers for the 38th day

On Monday evening, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir carried out a new raid on the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, taking advantage of the strict restrictions imposed by the occupation authorities on the entry of Palestinian worshippers. This provocative step comes as the decision to close the mosque to Muslims enters its thirty-eighth consecutive day, depriving thousands of worshippers from performing their religious rituals.

Sources from the Islamic Endowments Department in occupied Jerusalem clarified that Ben Gvir entered the mosque through the Mughrabi Gate and toured its courtyards to the Chain Gate area under intense security guard. This raid is the fifteenth for the far-right minister since he assumed his duties in the current government at the beginning of 2023, reflecting an escalating approach towards holy sites.

For its part, the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs condemned this behavior, describing it as a dangerous measure that violates the religious and spiritual sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially in light of its deliberate emptying of worshippers. The ministry stressed in a statement that what the far-right government is doing represents a blatant aggression and a heinous crime aimed at changing the status quo in the holy city.

In a related context, Hamas leader Abdul Rahman Shadid considered that the timing of the raid with the continued closure reflects the occupation's desire to impose full sovereignty and Judaize the place. Shadid pointed out that this organized behavior is one of the most dangerous threats Al-Aqsa has faced recently, as the occupation seeks to leave it an easy prey for repeated settler incursions.

The roots of the current closure date back to February 28, when the occupation authorities used ongoing regional tensions as a pretext to prevent gatherings inside Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Despite these restrictions, the Israeli police recently announced that limited prayers would be allowed inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre only, following a wave of international criticism and European pressure that followed the prevention of senior Christian leaders from celebrating Palm Sunday.

Observers and Palestinians believe that these measures fall within a broader plan to Judaize occupied Jerusalem and erase its Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity. The occupation authorities continue to exploit the current political circumstances to intensify their attacks on holy sites, amid warnings that these provocations could lead to an unprecedented explosion of the field situation in the city.

Ben Gvir's storming of Al-Aqsa amid its continued closure represents an escalation of the occupation's arrogance and its attempts to impose the reality of Judaization and full sovereignty over it.