Hamas warns of Israeli efforts to change status quo at Aqsa Mosque
The Hamas Movement has warned against the escalating settler violations at the Aqsa Mosque, describing them as “attempts to impose a new religious reality and change the Mosque’s historical and legal status quo.”
“The Israeli occupation authority and temple mount groups are using the Jewish holiday season to organize mass settler break-ins at the Aqsa Mosque compound, where public group rituals are performed under police escort and with political backing from the Israeli government,” Hamas said in a press release on Monday.
“What is happening is no longer merely a series of isolated settler tours; rather, it is a gradual process moving from increasing the number of those entering the holy site to attempting to establish Jewish prayers and rituals inside the Mosque compound itself,” Hamas added.
Hamas explained that settler violations at the holy site include prostration, blowing horns (shofar), singing, dancing, reading religious texts, and bringing in religious symbols and offerings.
It warned that the repeated practice of such rituals, under official protection, is intended to gradually impose a new reality inside the Aqsa Mosque.