Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strive for a "total victory" over "Hamas" in Gaza, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
In a video address from one of the hottest spots in the Middle East, Ben-Gvir said that two years after the "Hamas" attack on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza, Israel "has won" at the Jerusalem compound, called the Temple Mount by Jews and the Noble Sanctuary by Muslims.
"In every house in Gaza there is a picture of the Temple Mount hill, and today, two years later, we are winning on the Temple Mount. We own the Temple Mount," Ben-Gvir said.
"I only pray that our prime minister will allow us to achieve complete victory in Gaza as well - to destroy "Hamas", with God's help we will get the hostages back and have complete victory," he said.
His statement was issued against the backdrop of indirect negotiations between Israel and "Hamas" in Egypt aimed at the release of the hostages and an end to the war.
Ben-Gvir, known as a hard-line politician even before he helped Netanyahu form the most right-wing coalition government in Israel's history, is the leader of the pro-settlement, nationalist-religious party "Jewish Power". He had previously threatened to leave the government of Netanyahu, unless Hamas is completely destroyed.
The Al-Aqsa compound, located behind the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest in Judaism. Under a fragile "status quo" agreement struck decades ago with Muslim authorities, the Al-Aqsa compound is run by a Jordanian religious foundation, and Jews can visit but not pray there.
Ben-Gvir has previously challenged those rules, prompting Netanyahu to say that Israel is committed to upholding the status quo there. Proposals to change the rules at the compound have sparked outrage in the Muslim world and sparked violence.