Pakistan condemns Israeli minister's storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque

Pakistan on Tuesday condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir a day earlier.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement called the act “a direct assault on the sanctity and historical character of the holy site,” adding that it is a violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.

The ministry described the act as "reprehensible" and categorically rejected “all attempts by the Israeli occupying authorities to alter or undermine the established religious, historical and legal status of Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

It also called upon the international community to take urgent and effective measures to prevent such provocations.

The statement further reiterated Pakistan's "unwavering and principled support" for the “just cause of the Palestinian people, including their inalienable right to self-determination, and for the establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable and contiguous State of Palestine, based on the pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”

Read: Israel continues to bar Muslims from Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque for 4th straight week

Besides Pakistan, multiple Muslim countries also condemned the incident. According to TRT World, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa compound through the Moroccan Gate and toured its courtyards on Monday.

A day earlier, Qatar's foreign ministry condemned the storming, saying the country considered it "a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and a provocation of the feelings of Muslims worldwide."

The ministry affirmed Qatar's "categorical rejection of attempts to undermine the religious and historical status of Al-Aqsa Mosque," adding that it "also stresses the need for the international community to uphold its moral and legal responsibilities towards Jerusalem and its holy sites and to firmly confront the repeated Israeli violations."

Reiterating Qatar's "unwavering position on the just cause of Palestine and the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people," the ministry maintained support for the Palestinians' "full right to practice their religious rites without restrictions and to establish their independent state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital."

Furthermore, in an official statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that it strongly condemned "the raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque carried out by an Israeli minister." It added that "the violations and provocations by the Netanyahu government targeting the historical and legal status of Al-Aqsa Mosque, a sacred site exclusively for Muslims, are unacceptable."

The statement concluded with the ministry stating that "ensuring the opening of Al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslim worship and the removal of all restrictions preventing freedom of worship at holy sites in East Jerusalem is a shared responsibility of the international community."

Read More: Jerusalem’s Muslims despair on Eidul Fitr as access to Al-Aqsa Mosque denied amid war

Jordan also "condemned the incursion by the extremist Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, today into Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, under the protection of the Israeli occupation police."

In a post on X, Jordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates described the act as "a blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, a condemned escalation and unacceptable provocation, and an infringement on the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the existing historical and legal status quo."