Muslims perform the morning prayer in front of the Al-Aqsa mosque at the start of the Eid al-Fitr which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Jerusalem on March 30, 2025. (Credit: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City on Wednesday, his spokesperson said, prompting strong condemnation from Jordan and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The firebrand politician was visiting the site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, in occupied east Jerusalem after returning to the Israeli government last month following the resumption of the war against Hamas in Gaza.
Ben Gvir had quit the cabinet in January in protest at the cease-fire agreement in the Palestinian territory.
Since the formation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government at the end of 2022, Ben Gvir has made several trips to the al-Aqsa compound, each time triggering international outcry.
In a statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemned Wednesday's visit as a "storming" and "an unacceptable provocation."
Hamas called it a "provocative and dangerous escalation", saying the visit was "part of the ongoing genocide against our Palestinian people."
"We call on our Palestinian people and our youth in the West Bank to escalate their confrontation... in defence of our land and our sanctities, foremost among them the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque," it said in a statement.
The site is Islam's third-holiest and a symbol of Palestinian national identity.
Known to Jews as the Temple Mount, it is also Judaism's holiest place, revered as the site of the second temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
Under the status quo maintained by Israel, which has occupied east Jerusalem and its Old City since 1967, Jews and other non-Muslims are allowed to visit the compound during specified hours, but they are not permitted to pray there or display religious symbols.
Ben Gvir's spokesperson told AFP the minister "went there because the site was opened [for non-Muslims] after 13 days," during which access was reserved for Muslims for the festival of Eid al-Fitr and the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Hamas said the incursion by the far-right Israeli minister represents a “dangerous” move.
“The fascist minister Ben-Gvir’s storming of the al-Aqsa Mosque this morning is a provocation and a dangerous escalation,” Hamas said in a statement.
The efforts by “the terrorist government led by the war criminal Netanyahu [aims] to Judaize the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque and impose a fait accompli on the holy city,” it added.
“We call on our Palestinian people and our rebellious youth in the West Bank to escalate the situation of engagement with this arrogant enemy everywhere in defence of our land and holy sites,” said Hamas.
The group called on Arab and Muslim states “to stop these systematic violations [and] take urgent steps to force the criminal occupation to stop its crimes against our Palestinian people and our Islamic and Christian holy sites.”
In recent years, growing numbers of Jewish ultranationalists have defied the rules, including Ben Gvir, who publicly prayed there in 2023 and 2024.
The Israeli government has said repeatedly that it intends to uphold the status quo at the compound but Palestinian fears about its future have made it a flashpoint for violence.