RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned the storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli officials and settlers under the protection of “occupation forces”.
In a statement on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said that the action violated the sanctity of one of Islam’s holiest sites.
The ministry also affirmed “its categorical rejection of anything that would undermine the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its holy sites,” calling on the international community to hold the Israeli occupation authorities accountable for their serious and ongoing violations against Islamic holy sites and innocent civilians in the State of Palestine.
#بيان | تعرب وزارة الخارجية عن إدانة المملكة العربية السعودية اقتحام مسؤولين ومستوطنين إسرائيليين باحات المسجد الأقصى الشريف بحمايةٍ من قوات الاحتلال، مجددةً استنكارها بأشد العبارات مواصلة الاعتداءات على حرمة المسجد الأقصى. pic.twitter.com/zQibUQtTkX
— وزارة الخارجية 🇸🇦 (@KSAMOFA) October 8, 2025
Al-Aqsa Mosque, situated in Jerusalem’s Old City, remains a frequent flashpoint, with tensions there often resonating across the broader region.
In response to recent developments, the Kingdom has joined a growing number of Arab and Islamic nations in stressing the importance of preserving the long-standing status quo at the holy sites and avoiding actions that could provoke further violence.
On Wednesday, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and released a video declaring that “two years after” the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, Israel is “winning” at the site.
He asserted, “We are the owners of the Temple Mount,” and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to achieve “complete victory” in Gaza by “destroying Hamas,” as negotiations mediated in Egypt continue in hopes of ending the ongoing conflict.
Ben-Gvir, leader of the nationalist-religious Jewish Power party, has a history of challenging the decades-old status quo governing the hilltop compound.
Under this arrangement—managed by a Jordanian religious endowment—Muslims are allowed to worship at the Al-Aqsa compound, while Jews may visit but are prohibited from praying there. Any indication that Israel might alter this agreement has consistently drawn condemnation from across the Muslim world and has, at times, sparked violence.
