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Hamas rejects Al-Aqsa changes
Hamas said new Israeli measures at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, including the allowance of Jewish prayer books and organized public prayers inside the mosque compound, would "not succeed in altering the mosque's Islamic identity."
“would "not succeed in altering the mosque's Islamic identity."”
The Palestinian group issued the statement on the 57th anniversary of a 1969 arson attack on the holy site, and it said Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's decision represented an "escalatory step" against the site's "sanctity and historic Islamic identity."
Hamas framed the latest developments as an extension of the 1969 arson, adding that "What Al-Aqsa is witnessing today -- including incursions, Talmudic rituals and attempts to impose new realities in its courtyards -- is an extension of that crime," it said.
The statement also called on Palestinians in Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and inside Israel to "bolster their presence and steadfastness at Al-Aqsa and confront the occupation's plans to impose new realities there."
Ben-Gvir, police and prayer books
Hamas said Israeli police allowed Jewish prayer books to be brought into the mosque compound, and it pointed to Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir confirming the move.
The A News | Other report said Israeli police manage the flashpoint site according to "political-level directives, procedures and field assessments," and it described longstanding restrictions that had barred Jews from performing prayers or bringing religious items into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as gradually eased.
It also said that in late July, hundreds of religious Jews performed public prayers inside the mosque compound in Ben-Gvir's presence.
In parallel, Al-Jazirah Net reported Hamas stressed that the latest Israeli measures, "especially the entry of full Jewish prayer books and the holding of public and organized prayers in the courtyards," were aimed at the sanctuary's sanctity and historical Islamic identity.
Fire anniversary and ongoing stakes
The anniversary messaging tied the present-day dispute to the 1969 arson, with the A News | Other report stating that on Aug. 21, 1969, Dennis Michael Rohan set fire to the mosque's Al-Qibli prayer hall, destroying Saladin's pulpit and parts of the hall's roof.
“On Aug. 21, 1969, Dennis Michael Rohan, an Australian national, set fire to the mosque's Al-Qibli prayer hall”
The A News | Other report said the incident was followed by the first Islamic summit in Rabat, Morocco, on Sept. 25, 1969, which led to the establishment of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, now known as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Al-Jazirah Net said Hamas called on Palestinians to “increase presence and steadfastness at Al-Aqsa Mosque and confront the plans of the occupation,” and it urged Arab and Islamic countries to assume their historical responsibilities and unite efforts to halt assaults and support residents.
In Yemen’s Saba report, Sheikh Akrama Sabri told the Palestinian news agency "Sanad" that "the flames that ignited 57 years ago have not been extinguished," describing them as transforming into a wider fire targeting the Qudsi presence and homes threatened with demolition.