A senior leader of Hamas, a Palestinian nationalist movement, has warned Israel against allowing “Jewish extremists” at the Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam.
Khaled Meshaal, former Hamas chief who currently leads the group’s diaspora office, said on Monday, September 25, that Israel was playing with fire by allowing and supporting “Jewish extremists” at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. He further warned of the dire consequences of the act.
Meshaal went on to say that the surge in the incursions was a plot by the pro-hawk Israeli government to eventually destroy the mosque and replace it with a temple.
He further said the number of illegal settlers trespassing on the compounds of al-Aqsa Mosque has increased since 2017, adding that the Israeli administration has become evidently more confident as a result of its achievement in mending diplomatic ties with some Arab and Muslim nations.
He urged nations looking to normalize relations with Israel to make the right decisions and added that ties with the government would be extremely dangerous for Palestine and the Arab world.
The statement of the chief comes a week after Israeli forces brutally assaulted Palestinian worshippers at Bab as-Silsila (the Chain Gate), one of the main entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem on Sunday, September 17.
The attack follows the tight security measures imposed by the Israeli forces, ejecting worshippers from Al-Aqsa Mosque and intensifying their presence around it on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Sayima Ahmad | 
