
Israel allows 180 Jews to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque for first time
On Wednesday, dozens of worshippers were seen entering the site, referred to as Temple Mount in Judaism, flanked by Israeli security services.
The move marks a departure from Israel's previous policy of allowing no more than 30 Jewish Israelis at a time into the site, which was conquered by Israel in the 1967 war and is recognised as occupied territory internationally.
Israeli police said that "officers safeguarded visits to the Temple Mount in accordance with visitation regulations and group size limitations, which are determined by circumstances such as overall visitor numbers and the police's ability to ensure public safety and order".
Thousands of Jewish worshippers could be seen dancing and celebrating at the Lions' Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. Muslim worshippers were prevented from entering the mosque.
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Aouni Bazbaz, director of international affairs at the Islamic Waqf, the organisation that administers Al-Aqsa Mosque, told Middle East Eye that the scenes on Wednesday - and in the previous days - had been unprecedented.
"These are frightening scenes," he said.
Bazbaz added that the total of settlers who entered the site in 2003 stood at 258, while "the numbers have risen exponentially" today, with thousands making their way into the complex.
"Today [as the Islamic Waqf], we will be dealing with something we have never ever dealt with before," he said.
A change in status quo?
The Chief Rabbinate of Jerusalem has long declared Jewish worship on Temple Mount forbidden unless worshippers are "ritually pure", which is believed impossible under modern conditions.
However, many Orthodox Jewish settlers oppose this stance, arguing that preventing them from worshipping there is discriminatory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said that "the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change", referring to a 1757 Ottoman decree reaffirming a ban on non-Muslims entering Al-Aqsa Mosque and granting Jews the right to pray at the Western Wall.
However, in recent years, visits by Jewish settlers to the site have become increasingly routine.
Why is Jewish worship at al-Aqsa Mosque so controversial? Read More »
Some Israeli government members, such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have openly called for Jewish prayer to be permitted at Al-Aqsa Mosque. The far-right minister has even been filmed entering the complex on several occasions.
Some Israeli settlers have called for the construction of a Jewish temple modelled after two temples that once stood on the site - a move that some have said would necessitate the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the three holiest sites in Islam.
The Temple Mount Administration, a far-right group advocating for the construction of a temple on the site, said on Tuesday that there had been "3,000 worshippers at the Temple Mount in the first three days of Passover".
Bazbaz warned that the division of Al-Aqsa Mosque was increasingly becoming a reality. He compared it to the situation at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, which has been divided into a mosque and a synagogue - both under Israeli control.
"Let's use the media phrase for what is happening: apartheid or segregation has become a historical and current reality on the ground," he said.
Bazbaz added that the situation had worsened since the start of the war in Gaza, with Jewish religious practices on Al-Aqsa Mosque being encouraged and even backed by the authorities.
"What happened today was more of a move to cause outrage rather than for religious purposes," he said.
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Middle East Eye
27 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Police station stormed in Egypt as outrage over Gaza blockade reaches boiling point
On the night of 25 July 2025, a group of young Egyptians launched a bold attack that shook Egypt's political order. Calling themselves 'Iron 17,' they stormed the State Security headquarters at the Ma'asara police station in Helwan, detaining several security personnel for hours in an unprecedented act, the first of its kind since Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's rise to power in 2013 as president. More than just an attack on a government building, the raid, captured in viral videos, exposed mounting public fury that could threaten Sisi's grip on power. Much of this anger stems from Egypt's role in the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the closure of the Rafah crossing. Since Israel seized the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in May 2024, Gaza's humanitarian crisis has worsened, with dozens, mainly children, dying of starvation according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Egyptian regime, denying responsibility for the closure, faces accusations of failing to pressure for its reopening. This stance has fuelled public outrage, with many seeing it as capitulation to Israeli and US pressures at the expense of the Palestinian cause. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Adding fuel to the fire, North Sinai Governor Khaled Megawer, in a Friday interview with pro-regime journalist Mustafa Bakri, admitted Egypt cannot forcibly reopen Rafah due to US opposition, a statement critics view as an implicit admission of Cairo's role in the closure. Security lapse exploited during Friday prayers Through the Telegram channel 'Nation's Flood,' which has nearly 50,000 subscribers, footage emerged showing young men inside the Ma'asara State Security office, holding officers captive for hours. The videos, viewed millions of times, showed the group condemning the closure of the Rafah crossing, a lifeline for Gaza's besieged population, and the arrests of activists collecting aid for the enclave. In one chilling exchange, a detained officer responded to demands to reopen Rafah with a single word: 'Impossible.' These clips are not just documentation; they stand as a testament to a people fed up with a regime they accuse of complicity in Gaza's suffering. The question of how the group accessed a high-security facility was quickly answered. Displaced Palestinian children chat with an Egyptian soldier standing guard behind the fence between Egypt and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 26, 2024 (AFP) Leaked documents, posted on the same Telegram channel, revealed lists of individuals under Egypt's notorious 'security monitoring' programme, which requires released prisoners to check in regularly at police stations. One video explained that the group chose Friday prayers on 25 July for their operation, taking advantage of lax security during that time. Former detainees corroborated this, noting the ease of accessing the State Security office on the fourth floor for routine check-ins, a gap the group exploited to enter and detain personnel. The leaked documents also exposed names of current detainees and forcibly disappeared individuals linked to charges like protesting or alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. They included security classifications, labelling people as Brotherhood members, Salafists, or sympathisers. The FactCheckar, an independent fact-checking initiative, in a detailed analysis on its official Facebook page, confirmed the authenticity of some names, including Fathi Rajab Hassan Ahmed and Ahmed Nadi Haddad Darwish, both tied to the 'Helwan Brigades' case, and Abdel Rahman Ramadan Mohamed Abdel Shafi, previously listed as forcibly disappeared in a 2024 report by the Shahab Center for Human Rights. Egyptian response: denial and deflection Egypt's Interior Ministry quickly issued a statement denying the videos' authenticity, claiming they were fabricated as part of a Muslim Brotherhood-led conspiracy. Exclusive: Egypt presidency forced Al-Azhar to delete statement condemning Israel's starvation of Gaza Read More » While it announced arrests of those involved in spreading the footage, it avoided addressing the validity of the leaked documents, merely stating they were unrelated to the incident. This knee-jerk denial, a familiar tactic, failed to mask the ministry's embarrassment and fuelled criticism that the regime is trapped in denial, dismissing legitimate grievances as foreign plots. A subsequent video from 'Nation's Flood' showed one of the young men, bloodied and with torn clothes, insisting they were not terrorists and had used an empty sound pistol, aiming only to send a message. He sought assurances from a detained officer that they would not be harmed if released. Still, communication with the group abruptly ceased, and all prior messages on the Telegram channel vanished, raising questions about whether security forces had seized control of the channel or its administrators had deleted the content. Iron 17's manifesto: a call to awaken society Hours before the channel went silent, it released an audio statement styled like Palestinian faction communiques, claiming responsibility for the 'Iron 17' operation. The statement, attributed to Ahmed Abdel Wahab and Mohsen Mustafa, rejected any political affiliations, describing themselves as 'heirs of Omar ibn al-Khattab and Amr ibn al-Aas' seeking to revive Egypt's national spirit. The figures in question refers to invoking early Islamic military and political leaders that symbolised strength, justice, and national revival. Their message was clear: end the genocide in Gaza and stop repressing Egyptians. Addressing the Egyptian people, they decried the 'severe blows' inflicted on the nation and vowed to rouse it from its 'death.' Italian and European parliament members hold placards during a protest in front of the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, calling for aid to be allowed into the Gaza on May 18, 2025 (AFP) Social media buzzed with polarised reactions. Some doubted the videos' authenticity, while others saw them as a genuine outcry. Critics blamed the regime's relentless repression and heavy-handed security measures for pushing people to such extremes. Others, echoing the government narrative, accused the Muslim Brotherhood and regional actors of orchestrating a plot to destabilise Egypt with fake videos and misinformation. On Saturday morning, the Egyptian presidency's spokesperson posted a brief statement about a meeting between Sisi and Interior Minister Mahmoud Tawfiq, without detailing its agenda. Pro-regime outlets suggested it discussed security updates and an upcoming reshuffle of Interior Ministry officers, though it remains unclear whether Sisi addressed the Ma'asara incident or considered dismissing Tawfiq. Political fallout: a regime under pressure The Ma'asara incident was not an isolated act. It followed a wave of protests the previous week outside Egyptian embassies in European capitals, sparked by activist Anas Habib in the Netherlands, who symbolically locked embassy gates to protest the Rafah closure. These actions spread to other cities, amplifying the message that Egyptians, both at home and abroad, reject what they see as complicity in Gaza's plight. The Ma'asara operation builds on this momentum, showing that anger is translating into bold action. Lebanese security forces block the road leading to the Egyptian embassy in Beirut during a protest against the closure of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip (AFP) The Ma'asara storming, coupled with embassy protests, signals growing pressure on a regime already grappling with economic and social crises. These actions could embolden opposition forces to organise further, especially amid intensifying repression. Sisi's reliance on brute force may backfire if public demands for Gaza and domestic reform are ignored. The current unrest echoes the spirit of the January 25 Revolution, hinting at a potential turning point where Egyptians reclaim their voice. Ultimately, the Ma'asara incident stands as a resounding cry against injustice, both in Gaza and within Egypt. The regime faces a critical test: heed these voices or risk an escalation that could reshape the political landscape.


Dubai Eye
an hour ago
- Dubai Eye
Netanyahu, Trump appear to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump appeared to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, both saying it had become clear that the group did not want a deal. Netanyahu said Israel was now mulling "alternative" options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the enclave, where starvation is spreading and most of the population is homeless amid widespread ruin. Trump said he believed Hamas leaders would now be "hunted down", telling reporters: "Hamas really didn't want to make a deal..." The remarks appeared to leave little to no room, at least in the short term, to resume negotiations for a break in the fighting, at a time when international concern is mounting over worsening hunger in war-shattered Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron, responding to the deteriorating humanitarian situation, announced that Paris would become the first major Western power to recognise an independent Palestinian state. Britain and Germany said they were not yet ready to do so but later joined France in calling for an immediate ceasefire. British Prime Minister Keith Starmer said his government would recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal. Trump dismissed Macron's move. "What he says doesn't matter," he said. "He's a very good guy. I like him, but that statement doesn't carry weight." Israel and the US withdrew their delegations on Thursday from the ceasefire talks in Qatar, hours after Hamas submitted its response to a truce proposal. Sources initially said on Thursday that the Israeli withdrawal was only for consultations and did not necessarily mean the talks had reached a crisis. But Netanyahu's remarks suggested Israel's position had hardened overnight. US envoy Steve Witkoff said Hamas was to blame for the impasse, and Netanyahu said Witkoff had got it right. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said on Facebook that the talks had been constructive, and criticised Witkoff's remarks as aimed at exerting pressure on Israel's behalf. "What we have presented - with full awareness and understanding of the complexity of the situation - we believe could lead to a deal if the enemy had the will to reach one," he said. Mediators Qatar and Egypt said there had been some progress in the latest round of talks. They said suspensions were a normal part of the process and they were committed to continuing to try to reach a ceasefire in partnership with the US. The proposed ceasefire would suspend fighting for 60 days, allow more aid into Gaza, and free some of the 50 remaining hostages held by Hamas in return for Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel. It has been held up by disagreement over how far Israel should withdraw its troops and the future beyond the 60 days if no permanent agreement is reached. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right national security minister in Netanyahu's coalition, welcomed Netanyahu's step, calling for a total halt of aid to Gaza and complete conquest of the enclave. MASS HUNGER International aid organisations say mass hunger has now arrived among Gaza's 2.2 million people, with stocks running out after Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March, then reopened it in May but with new restrictions. The Israeli military said on Friday it had agreed to let countries airdrop aid into Gaza. Hamas dismissed this as a stunt. 'The Gaza Strip does not need flying aerobatics, it needs an open humanitarian corridor and a steady daily flow of aid trucks to save what remains of the lives of besieged, starving civilians,' Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, told Reuters. Gaza medical authorities said nine more Palestinians had died over the past 24 hours from malnutrition or starvation. Dozens have died in the past few weeks as hunger worsens. Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to distribute it, in what the Israeli foreign ministry called on Friday "a deliberate ploy to defame Israel". The United Nations says it is operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions. United Nations agencies said on Friday that supplies were running out in Gaza of specialised therapeutic food to save the lives of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher also has demanded that Israel provide evidence for its accusations that staff with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were affiliated with Hamas, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The ceasefire talks have been accompanied by continuing Israeli offensives. Palestinian health officials said Israeli airstrikes and gunfire had killed at least 21 people across the enclave on Friday, including five killed in a strike on a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City.

Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Handala aid convoy now less than 185km from Gaza
The Handala boat, en route to Gaza in a bid to break Israel's blockade, is reportedly less than 185km from the besieged enclave. According to a live tracker, it has now passed the point where Israeli forces raided the previous humanitarian convoy, Madleen, in early June.