“This deliberate provocation… reflects the fascist mentality governing the (Israeli) government, which intentionally violates the sanctity of Al-Aqsa and the feelings of Muslims worldwide,” Hamas wrote in a statement.
The visit is Ben Gvir’s eleventh as minister to the disputed area, located in occupied east Jerusalem, which contains Islam’s third-holiest site and is Judaism’s holiest place, revered as the location of the first and second Jewish temples.
In a video statement from the esplanade, Ben Gvir referred to the second anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, that sparked two years of war in Gaza.
“We are two years after the terrible massacre — here at the Temple Mount there is victory,” Ben Gvir said.
“I only pray that our prime minister will allow a complete victory in Gaza as well — to destroy Hamas, with God’s help to bring back the hostages,” he added.
Ben Gvir’s visit was conducted as Israel and Hamas were engaging in the third day of indirect talks in Egypt to reach an end to the two-year war in Gaza.
The security minister has previously threatened to quit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government unless Hamas is destroyed.
Videos circulating on social media showed Ben Gvir walking on the esplanade accompanied by a group of religious Jews singing liturgical songs.
The Waqf, the Jordanian custodian of the site, said 1,300 “extremist Jews” went into the compound Wednesday morning.
Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned the visit as “a flagrant violation” of the status quo at the compound, an unwritten agreement which forbids non-Muslim prayer on the site.
Ben Gvir’s visit also coincided with the second day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot during which Jews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in ancient times.
In recent years, the status quo understanding between Israel and Jordan has been repeatedly violated by Jewish visitors, including members of the Israeli parliament.
Ben Gvir conducted a public prayer on the flashpoint site in August, on the occasion of Tisha B’Av, a fasting day to commemorate the destruction of the two Jewish temples.
Israel occupied east Jerusalem and annexed it in 1967, in a move not recognised by the vast majority of the international community.