A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was killed by Israeli military fire in the occupied West Bank on Thursday during a visit by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the sensitive Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem. The site, revered by both Jews and Muslims, has been a longstanding flashpoint for violence between Israel and the Palestinians.
The visit of Ben-Gvir to the disputed hilltop compound coincided with a period of heightened Israeli-Palestinian violence in the West Bank. The situation has raised concerns of further escalation and strained relations between the two sides, as reported by AP.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound holds deep religious significance for Jews and Muslims, and both communities have competing claims to the site. The visit by the Israeli National Security Minister prompted the Hamas militant group to launch a rare rocket from the West Bank and drew condemnation from various Muslim countries.
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The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 14-year-old Fares Abu Samra was killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank town of Qalqilya. The Israeli military stated that Palestinians had thrown rocks and firebombs at troops, leading to the response of firing into the air. The incident is currently being reviewed.
During the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av, hundreds of Jews visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, to reflect on the destruction of the First and Second Temples. The visit by Ben-Gvir, a former West Bank settler leader and far-right activist, has been met with strong opposition.
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The Palestinian Authority's Jerusalem Affairs Ministry warned that the government and extremists like Ben-Gvir might "push things toward religious war" by provoking Muslims worldwide. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs viewed the visit as an attempt to impose Israeli sovereignty over the site.
Neighboring Jordan, which acts as the custodian over the site and has a peace agreement with Israel, expressed concern that such visits "threaten to trigger new cycles of violence." Saudi Arabia, the custodian of Islam's two holiest cities, and Turkey also denounced the visit as provocative.
Under longstanding arrangements, Jews are allowed to visit the site but not to pray there. However, in recent years, a growing number of Jewish visitors have quietly prayed at the site, raising concerns among Palestinians about Israel's intentions.
The ongoing violence in the West Bank has seen over 160 Palestinians killed this year, with at least five of them aged 14 or under. The situation has further strained relations between Israel and Palestine and diminished hopes for Palestinian statehood.
Israel captured east Jerusalem, where the holy compound is located, along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek these territories for a future independent state, with east Jerusalem as its capital. However, Israel's government, consisting of ultranationalists and West Bank settlement supporters, has intensified steps to solidify its hold on these territories, leading to tensions with the international community and diminishing prospects for peace.
