Israeli National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, has demanded that Palestinians be prevented from praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the upcoming month of Ramadan, which is set to begin in about three weeks.
In a tweet posted on his account on the X platform, the right-wing extremist minister stated, “We cannot take risks. Palestinians should not be allowed to enter Israeli territory during the Muslim holiday, which lasts a month, less than a month from now.”
Ben Gvir added, “Women and children cannot be hostages in Gaza, while we allow Hamas to celebrate victory on the Temple Mount,” referring to the Israeli term for the holy site in Jerusalem.
The post by Ben Gvir comes a day after Israeli television announced that the minister is pushing to prevent Palestinians from entering the holy compound during Ramadan, which is expected to start around March 10th.
As Ramadan approaches, the Gaza conflict does not seem to be ending anytime soon, with Israel insisting on an incursion into Rafah by land, an operation that could take several months according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.