‘Dangerous precedent’: Hamas reacts as Al-Aqsa mosque closure stretches to 11 days

Palestinian group Hamas condemned Israel’s continued closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex for the 11th consecutive day on Tuesday, warning that the move threatens freedom of worship during the holy month of Ramadan. 

In a statement, the group said the restrictions constitute a "dangerous precedent", after Israeli security forces completely sealed off the site since last Saturday, preventing anyone from entering- including mosque staff and guards- following the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran. 

Hamas also criticised the ban on worshippers performing Taraweeh prayers and observing i’tikaf, the religious retreat commonly undertaken in mosques during the final days of Ramadan. 

The group described the closure as a "dangerous historical precedent" and a "blatant violation" of freedom of worship, accusing Israel of escalating tensions around Islamic holy sites. 

According to Hamas, the continued shutdown of the mosque by what it referred to as the "fascist occupation government" marks the first time such a measure has been imposed since 1967. 

The movement said the step violated the sanctity of the mosque and undermined freedom of worship at a site it described as Islam’s first direction of prayer and one of the faith’s most significant holy sites. 

Hamas also argued that the closure was being carried out under "weak pretexts", accusing the Israeli government of pursuing arbitrary and discriminatory policies accompanied by inflammatory rhetoric from extremist settlers. 

The group warned that such actions reflected broader Israeli plans aimed at altering the religious, historical, and legal status quo of the Al-Aqsa complex.

It also accused settlers of attempting to impose spatial divisions at the site by performing Talmudic rituals inside the mosque’s courtyards. 

Hamas added that, despite the ongoing restrictions, Israel "has no sovereignty or legitimacy over any part of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque", which it said is a religious endowment belonging exclusively to Muslims. 

Concerns over the closure have also been raised by Palestinian officials. 

 According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the Jerusalem Governorate warned of escalating incitement by extremist groups regarding the mosque amid the ongoing restrictions. 

"What is happening cannot be considered temporary security measures," the governorate said, according to Wafa. "Rather, it falls within a political and ideological agenda aimed at altering the existing religious, historical, and legal status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound."

Israel has imposed repeated restrictions on access to the mosque in recent years, particularly during Ramadan.  

Authorities had already limited the number of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank permitted to enter occupied East Jerusalem for prayers during the first Friday of Ramadan this year to 10,000 worshippers. 

Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the latest closure, describing it as an "illegal and unjustified action" and reiterating that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites. 

In recent years, Palestinian officials have reported an increase in incursions by extremist Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa complex, often carried out under police protection. 

Many Palestinians have voiced alarm over the continued closure, warning that Israel may be using the ongoing war with Iran as justification for the measure under the guise of emergency and security concerns.