Amid warnings of a religious war. Netanyahu holds his cabinet meeting under Al-Aqsa and Ben Gvir storms his yards

The Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu held its weekly meeting inside a tunnel under the western side of Al-Aqsa Mosque to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the occupation of Jerusalem, hours after extremist Israeli Minister of National Defense Itamar Ben Gvir and dozens of settlers stormed the courtyards of the holy mosque, prompting widespread Palestinian, Arab and Islamic condemnation.

At the start of this weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said that Israel had united Jerusalem after the war 56 years ago, but the battle for its unification was still ongoing.

He also spoke about the situation of his government, which is facing widespread internal protests over his project to amend the judicial system, and said that it must continue with its current composition "for the security of Israel and the unity of Jerusalem."

Netanyahu added that holding the cabinet meeting at this place was a message in response to the recent speech of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in which he stressed that non-Muslims had nothing to do with Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Al Jazeera's correspondent in occupied Jerusalem, Najwan Samri, reported that this is not the first time that the Israeli government has held its session inside the tunnels dug by the occupation under the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Israeli newspaper Maariv noted that the government had held a similar meeting in these tunnels in 2017.

Netanyahu's government plans to ratify a series of resolutions and bills aimed at encouraging young Jews to move to Jerusalem.

The Israeli government also approved an addition of about $17 million to the budget for digging tunnels under the Western Wall and the Old City.

This is the second time extremist Ben Gvir has stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque since taking over as national security minister (Reuters)

Storming Al , Aqsa

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli National Defense Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, accompanied by a group of settlers and under the protection of the occupation police, and said, "We are the owners of Jerusalem."

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that this was the second time that extremist Ben Gvir had stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque since taking over as Minister of National Security, arriving in the early morning hours of Al-Buraq Square.

Wafa quoted sources that dozens of settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the side of the Mughrabi Gate in successive groups, carried out provocative tours in its courtyards, received explanations about the alleged "Temple", and performed Talmudic rituals in the eastern region of it and opposite the Dome of the Rock.

Palestinian Reactions

In turn, the Palestinian forces condemned the Israeli government's meeting under Al-Aqsa and the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Bin Gvir.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement that the move was a dangerous escalation of "the religious war waged by the occupation on the holy city."

The Palestinian presidency also condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and its spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that bin Gvir's storming of the mosque grounds was "a blatant attack that will have serious repercussions."

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) also considered the storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque "an attempt to impose new facts and control the holy city," calling for confronting settler incursions.

Islamic Jihad said that "the aggression in Jerusalem will change all calculations, and there is no way to confront it except through resistance and escalation."

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) said the Ben Gvir raid was "a blatant aggression through which the Netanyahu government seeks to impose new facts in Jerusalem".

The National Liberation Movement (Fatah) also condemned the Israeli Minister of National Security's storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling it "a provocation and a flagrant infringement on the current situation on the Temple Mount."

Arab and Islamic condemnations

Several Arab and Muslim countries also expressed their condemnation of Israeli violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned in the strongest terms the storming of the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli Minister of National Security, considering it a flagrant violation of international law and the Hashemite Custodianship of holy sites in occupied Jerusalem.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry warned of "the escalatory policy adopted by the Israeli government in the occupied Palestinian territories," stressing that "repeated attempts to harm the religious and historical status of Al-Aqsa Mosque are an attack on millions of Muslims around the world."

In the same context, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemned "in the strongest terms" the storming of bin Gvir Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Egypt also condemned the Israeli incursions, stressing that they "will not change the legal and historical status quo, in which Al-Aqsa is a purely Islamic endowment."

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also "strongly" condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israel's far-right national defense minister.