Hamas says it won't disarm unless independent Palestinian state established
In a statement, the Palestinian militant faction said its "armed resistance ... cannot be relinquished except through the full restoration of our national rights, foremost among them the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital."
Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at securing a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and deal for the release of hostages ended last week in deadlock.
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Telegraph
5 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Israeli minister flouts 1967 agreement by praying at Al-Aqsa mosque
Israel's ultra-nationalist security minister has provoked outrage by praying on the Temple Mount, violating a long-standing agreement between Israel and the Arab world. Jews are forbidden from prayer at the east Jerusalem site under the 'status quo' agreement made between Israel and Jordan in 1967. It is the holiest site in Judaism and also the location of the Al-Aqsa mosque. Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount while Jews around the world marked the Tisha B'Av fast day, commemorating the destruction of the first and second Holy Temples. He was filmed at the site leading a Jewish prayer. He said: 'It is precisely from here, a message must be sent [to Hamas]: to ensure that we conquer all of the Gaza Strip, declare sovereignty over the entire Gaza Strip, take down every Hamas member, and encourage voluntary migration. 'Only in this way will we bring back the hostages and win the war.' Mr Ben-Gvir's action forced Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to issue a statement saying that 'Israel's policy of maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change'. Saudi Arabia condemned 'in the strongest terms of the repeated provocative practices by officials of the Israeli occupation authorities against Al-Aqsa Mosque'. Its statement added: 'The Kingdom affirms that such practices fuel the conflict in the region.' The Arab nation is supporting the New York declaration with France, which recognises a Palestinian State and calls on Hamas to lay down its weapons. Other Israeli ministers and politicians visited the Temple Mount on Sunday, including Yitzhak Wasserlauf, the national resistance minister, and Sharen Haskel, deputy minister of foreign affairs. Mrs Haskel said: 'In the shadow of Oct 7, with our people still reeling from war and 50 hostages still in Hamas's dungeons of torture, the pain in Israeli society runs deep. The anger and grief are overwhelming. 'But I went up [to the Temple Mount] to remember – and to promise. To promise leadership that unites, that heals, and that protects the next generation.' Yisrael Katz, Israel's defence minister, visited the Western Wall, saying the Temple Mount was again under Israeli sovereignty after 2,000 years. He said: 'Israel haters around the world continue to make decisions against us and protest, and we will strengthen our hold and sovereignty over Jerusalem, at the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount, forever.' It is not against the status quo agreement for Jews to visit the Al-Aqsa mosque, only to pray there. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, called on the international community and US to intervene 'immediately to put an end to the crimes of the settlers and the provocations of the extreme Right-wing government in Al-Aqsa Mosque, stop the war on the Gaza Strip and bring in humanitarian aid'. Jordan condemned Mr Ben-Gvir's prayer as 'an unacceptable provocation, and a reprehensible escalation.' Israel has 'no sovereignty over the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque', Jordan added. Around 1,200 Jews visited the Temple Mount on Sunday according to the Waqf, the authority which manages Islamic buildings at the site. The Temple Mount has been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades. Jordan is the custodian of the site, but Israel controls security around it. Palestinians and Israeli police force often clash there, especially during Ramadan and Passover, when religious Jews visit. Ultra-nationalist religious Jews have sought to regain full control of the entire site, while Hamas and Islamic Jihad supporters have attacked Israeli police forces from the site. Hamas has often said that the Al-Aqsa compound/Temple Mount was a red line, vowing to 'liberate' all of Jerusalem through jihad. The Oct 7 massacre
Powys County Times
24 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Anger as far-right Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem
A far-right Israeli minister has prayed at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, triggering regional condemnation and fears that the move could further escalate tensions. With Israel already facing global criticism over famine-like conditions in the besieged Gaza Strip, the visit by Itamar Ben-Gvir to the hillside compound threatened to further set back efforts by international mediators to halt Israel's nearly two-year military offensive in the territory. The area, which Jews call the Temple Mount, is the holiest site in Judaism and was home to the ancient biblical temples. Muslims call the site the Noble Sanctuary, and today it is home to the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam. Visits are considered a provocation across the Muslim world and openly praying violates a longstanding status quo at the site. Under the status quo, Jews have been allowed to tour the site but are barred from praying, with Israeli police and troops providing security. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said after Mr Ben-Gvir's visit that Israel would not change the norms governing the holy site. Mr Ben-Gvir made the stop after Hamas released videos showing two emaciated Israeli hostages. The videos caused in uproar in Israel and raised pressure on the government to reach a deal to bring home from Gaza the remaining hostages who were captured on October 7 2023, in the attack that triggered the war. During his visit to the hilltop compound, Mr Ben-Gvir called for Israel to annex the Gaza Strip and encourage Palestinians to leave, reviving rhetoric that has complicated negotiations to end the war. He condemned the video that Hamas released on Saturday of 24-year-old hostage Evyatar David, showing him looking skeletal and hollow-eyed in a dimly lit Gaza tunnel. The minister called it an attempt to pressure Israel. Mr Ben-Gvir's previous visits to the site have been explosive and prompted threats from Palestinian militant groups. Clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian demonstrators in and around the site fuelled an 11-day war with Hamas in 2021. His Sunday visit was swiftly condemned as an incitement by Palestinian leaders as well as Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Sufian Qudah, spokesman for the foreign ministry in neighboring Jordan, which serves as the custodian of the Al Aqsa Mosque, condemned what he called 'provocative incursions by the extremist minister' and implored Israel to prevent escalation.
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Gaza latest: IDF reviewing claim it bombed aid group's HQ; International outcry after Israeli hostage video
Israel's military says it's reviewing claims that it attacked the Palestinian Red Crescent Society HQ in Gaza overnight. Elsewhere, Hamas has received widespread condemnation after it released a video of an emaciated Israeli hostage. Follow the latest below.
