Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's Minister of National Security, visited the Temple Mount, Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, on Wednesday on the occasion of the Sukkot holiday, his spokesperson told AFP.
Videos released by a small Jewish organisation called the Temple Mount Administration showed Ben Gvir leading a group walking in the compound. According to a statement from his office quoted by Haaretz, Ben Gvir, known for his provocative actions, "prayed for victory in the war, the destruction of Hamas, and the return of the hostages."
The tour comes after the far-right minister publicly denounced the indirect talks taking place between Israeli representatives and Hamas to end the war in Gaza via a cease-fire deal, seeking an end-game only by force.
The third holiest site in Islam, the compound lies in Jerusalem’s Old City, in the eastern sector of the holy city occupied and annexed by Israel.
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