Pakistan condemns Israeli occupiers storming Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, raising Israeli flag

Pakistan on Tuesday condemned “in the strongest terms” Israeli occupiers storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the raising of the Israeli flag.

“These reprehensible acts constitute a blatant violation of international law, as well as of the sanctity and inviolability of the holy site,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

The incidents also risk escalating tensions in the region, added the spokesperson.

Pakistan urges “all possible measures to protect holy sites under Israeli occupation and to end the impunity of illegal settlers operating under its patronage,” he said, expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and reaffirming Islamabad’s “unwavering support for their right to worship,” as well as the establishment of “an independent, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”

Israeli occupiers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound Tuesday in occupied East Jerusalem, raising the Israeli flag during the incursion amid escalation across the West Bank.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Since 2003, Israeli police have unilaterally allowed occupiers to enter the mosque daily during two periods, morning and afternoon prayers, except Fridays and Saturdays.