Palestinian resistance movement Hamas issued a powerful statement commemorating the 56th anniversary of the 1969 arson attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque, reaffirming the sacred site’s unassailable Islamic identity and condemning Israel’s relentless attempts to erase it.

Declaring that the Israeli occupation holds “no sovereignty and no legitimacy over a single inch” of the blessed Mosque, Hamas underscored the enduring centrality of Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem to the Palestinian struggle.

The statement denounced Israel’s “fascist measures” aimed at undermining Al-Aqsa’s Islamic character, including repeated settler raids into the mosque’s courtyards, attempts to impose temporal and spatial divisions, and public campaigns advocating for the destruction of the holy site to build a so-called “Temple” in its place. “The crime of burning Al-Aqsa and ongoing violations by the occupation will never succeed in altering its sacred status,” Hamas asserted, vowing that such provocations will only strengthen Palestinian resolve.

This anniversary arrives amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza, now spanning over 22 months, characterized by war crimes, massacres, a suffocating blockade, and systematic starvation. The occupation has also escalated its illegal settlement expansion across the occupied West Bank, further threatening Palestinian land and heritage. Hamas called on Arab and Islamic nations to take urgent action to protect Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, urging them to counter Israel’s aggressive plans targeting these sacred sites.

Hamas also highlighted the broader regional threat posed by Israel, pointing to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rhetoric about a “Greater Israel” as evidence of ambitions extending beyond historic Palestine. The movement warned that Israel’s actions endanger global security and called for international measures to isolate the occupation, hold its leaders accountable for war crimes, and curb its aggression.

Reaffirming Al-Aqsa’s role as the “core of the struggle against the occupation” and the “compass of unity” for Palestinians and the broader Islamic nation, Hamas emphasized that the liberation of Jerusalem remains the heart of the Palestinian resistance. The movement’s statement concluded with a resolute pledge: “Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa will remain free, and the Palestinian people will continue their fight until full liberation is achieved.” (ILKHA)