Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations said that Hamas would rather kill Jews than protect Islamic holy sites
Gilad Erdan, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, said Friday that Hamas is prepared to target Islamic holy sites in an attempt to kill Jews so that Israel is forced to defend mosques.
In a speech to the United Nations, Erdan said the terrorist group was prepared to destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and compared the group to the Islamic State, which is known for its destruction. Sacred and historical places.
“Hamas has proven today that killing Israelis is more important than preserving the holy Islamic sites it claims to protect,” he told the world body.
Erdan then held up a tablet containing a video that he said showed Hamas launching rockets toward the vicinity of the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.
He added, “The Israeli Iron Dome system intercepted the missile and defended Al-Aqsa Mosque from Hamas.” “Think about this. Israel is defending Al-Aqsa Mosque from Hamas rockets.”
“To the Arab legacy. To the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, I ask: This is who you have chosen to defend?” he added: “A group of terrorists who practice genocide and prefer jihad at any cost to the holy Islamic places.”
Al-Aqsa Mosque is located on the Temple Mount in the Old City, which houses holy sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims, in East Jerusalem. Near the mosque is the Dome of the Rock, a holy Islamic site where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a point of contention between Israel and the Palestinians for decades. Jews are forbidden from praying on the Temple Mount and instead pray at the nearby Western Wall.
As part of the agreement, Jordan retains control of the Al-Aqsa compound, a site also sacred to Jews.
Muslims can pray on site while others can only visit. However, the Palestinians accused the Israelis of violating the status quo by praying at the site and exerting more control outside the compound by restricting Islamic worship.
Palestinians were angry in January when Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited Al-Aqsa Mosque.
“The Temple Mount is open to everyone,” Ben Gvir said on social media at the time.
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