Ben Gvir makes first visit to flashpoint Temple Mount since October 7
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
In his first visit to the Jerusalem holy site since October 7, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir declares from the Temple Mount that extending diplomatic recognition to a Palestinian state is tantamount to rewarding Hamas.
Surrounded by police, Ben Gvir says in a video message that in their move to recognize Palestine, Norway, Spain and Ireland are “giving a prize to Nukhba, murderers and abusers.”
Members of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force spearheaded the October 7 attack on southern Israel, during which 1,200 people were murdered and 252 were taken hostage.
Referring to video footage of several female hostages due to be released this evening, Ben Gvir says that “tonight we will receive further evidence of why Hamas must be totally destroyed.”
“In order to destroy Hamas, we need to go into Rafah until the end, to do a root canal,” he says, calling to cut off fuel to Gaza and limit humanitarian aid.
The flashpoint Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City is the holiest site in Judaism. Known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif or the Noble Sanctuary, the hilltop compound is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.
