Hamas condemns Netanyahu's entry into Aqsa Mosque

• Hamas released a Telegram statement denouncing ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the site, which it called an "incursion." 

Hamas has denounced Sunday ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "incursion" into the holy site, in a statement published on its Telegram channel. 

The Palestinian group said his entry "into the tunnels and excavation sites beneath the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Al-Buraq Wall, accompanied by provocative statements, constitutes a flagrant assault on the identity and status" of the site.

Hamas stressed that "Al-Aqsa Mosque, in its entirety, including its courtyards, prayer halls, walls, and gates,  will remain an exclusively Islamic mosque."

 Its statement ended by saying: "This is an established fact; the occupation's excavations, incursions, rituals, and attempts to impose its Biblical narrative will never succeed in altering the site's identity or obliterating its landmarks."

Early on Sunday, the Jerusalem Governorate of Palestine reported that Netanyahu, a number of ministers, and thousands of ‘Israeli’ settlers had entered the Western Wall plaza in occupied East Jerusalem under heavy security.

‘Israel’ holds control of the Western Wall, pointing to its significance as a Jewish holy site. 

The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Administration and the Jerusalem Governorate, however, maintain that the wall belongs to the Islamic holy sites.

‘Israeli’ authorities keep the Western Wall plaza open around the clock, and it serves as a venue for religious ceremonies, prayers, and official ‘Israeli’ events. Entrances are subject to security checks and searches.

Ahead of Yom Kippur, which starts on Sep. 21, ‘Israeli’ groups had urged their supporters to assemble outside the Gate of Mercy to recite prayers known as "Selichot."