"Hamas" warns of religious war on Al-Aqsa and calls for i'tikaf there

Hamas leader Haroun Nasser al-Din warned of a 'religious war' on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, describing settler practices as a 'fascist Judaization incursion.' He called for intensifying i'tikaf at Al-Aqsa and supporting Jerusalemites, asserting that the mosque 'will remain purely Islamic' and that attempts to alter its features will not succeed.

Hamas leader Haroun Nasser al-Din warned on Wednesday of the danger of what he described as settler practices inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, including the establishment of Torah study circles, rituals, and group prayers. He considered these practices a 'blatant aggression' against the identity of the Arab and Islamic nation and a 'new fascist Judaization incursion' within what he called the occupation's religious war on Jerusalem. He affirmed that the Al-Aqsa Mosque 'will remain purely Islamic' and that attempts to change its features will not grant the occupation any legitimacy. He called for intensifying presence and i'tikaf at the mosque, and supporting Jerusalemites in the face of incursions, harassment, and expulsion, stressing the need for urgent action at official and popular levels. He also called on the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nations not to allow these incursions to become routine, affirming that protecting Jerusalem requires confronting the occupation and foiling its settlement plans.