Ha'arun Nasser al-Din, the Hamas official overseeing Jerusalem affairs, issued a warning against what he described as “settler incitement” to increase Jewish visits to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the upcoming Rosh Hashanah holiday.
In a public statement, Nasser al-Din claimed that Jewish visits to the Temple Mount during the High Holidays represent “a dangerous escalation” and an attempt to undermine the existing status quo at the site, calling the activity part of a broader “religious war” targeting Islamic holy places.
The senior Hamas figure urged Palestinians in Jerusalem, Israel, Judea, and Samaria to come to Al-Aqsa Mosque, pray there, and remain present at the site in order, he said, “not to abandon it to the settlers.”
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has significantly weakened Hamas’s ability to use rocket fire as a means of pressuring Israel over sensitive issues such as Jewish access to the Temple Mount during Jewish holidays.
In response, Hamas leadership has attempted to mobilize widespread protests and confrontations in lieu of military action. However, these efforts have so far met with only limited success.