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Ben Gvir enters Al Aqsa Mosque with police protection
18 July 2024 09:27 BST
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has entered the grounds of Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.
The Wafa news agency reports that he entered under heavy police protection.
Ben Gvir said that he has come to "the most important place for the State of Israel, for the people of Israel, to pray for the hostages to return home, but without a reckless deal, without surrender".
"I am praying and am also working hard so that the prime minister will have the strength not to fold and go on to victory: to add military pressure, to stop their fuel, to win," he said.
Al Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam, and a heavy point of contention in Jerusalem.