Qatar condemns new storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

By Admin - May 18, 2026

Al-Aqsa Mosque

On Thursday, Qatar condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque complex by Israel’s extremist National Security Minister Ben Gvir and “provocative actions and violations conducted by settlers under the protection of Israeli occupation forces including limiting worshipers’ reaching to the mosque.”

And it is the second day in a row that an Israeli minister stormed the mosque.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the event in a statement Friday, describing it as a “blatant violation” of international law and a serious attempt to impose a new reality in occupied Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement claiming that the incident was “an undisguised attack on international law and international humanitarian law, as well as an unjustifiable provocation against the feelings of millions of Muslims around the globe.”

Israeli far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visits Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. Thousands of Jewish nationalists march through Old City of occupied East Jerusalem as tensions over Al–Aqsa Mosque compound rise

He lifted an Israeli flag above the site and posed for pictures alongside Israeli cops.

"Ramadan is the most mute, thanks to Deterrence; Temple Mount is under our control." The people of Israel are alive…! chanted Ben-Gvir.

Ahead of the march, Israeli forces restricted non‑resident Palestinians from entering the Old City, closed off areas around Herod’s Gate and Damascus Gate with barricades, and ordered shopkeepers to shut down.

Ben‑Gvir entered the site on Tuesday under police escort along with a group of Israeli settlers. While he was there, he recited Jewish prayers at the site — a practice banned for non-Muslims by the status quo in place since 1967, although Jewish visits are permitted.

Ben-Gvir has entered the mosque compound at least 16 times since he became minister in 2022, as part of a growing settler movement seeking to gain control over Al-Aqsa Mosque. He has previously voiced approval of establishing a Jewish temple on the site that presently holds the Muslim holy place.

Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs cautioned in its statement that continued violations and provocations would lead to escalation in the region.

It urged the global community to work on compelling Israel to stop its continual violations against Palestinian people and their holy sites. Qatar also reaffirmed its support for the Palestinian cause and established an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.