Hamas called Israel's decision to limit Arab access to the mosque grounds during Ramadan "a violation of freedom of worship" and called on Palestinians to "mobilize, march and be present in the al-Aqsa mosque", which is located in the religious complex of Jerusalem.
In a statement quoted by international media, the Islamist movement said that the Jewish State's move "indicates the occupation's intention to intensify its aggression against the al-Aqsa mosque during the month of Ramadan" and represents "an intensification of Zionist crime and of the religious war led by the group of extremist settlers of the terrorist occupation government."
Hamas then appealed to Palestinians living in the "occupied territories", Jerusalem and the West Bank "to reject this criminal decision and resist the arrogance of the occupation".
The ruling group in the Gaza Strip also warned that limiting access to the mosque "will not happen without responsibility."
A member of the Israeli Knesset, Ahmad Tibi, also called Netanyahu's decision to limit access to the al-Aqsa mosque a "blatant violation of freedom of worship".
In a statement shared on social media, Tibi described Netanyahu as a "prisoner" of "convicted terrorist Ben-Gvir" (Israel's Minister of National Security) and said that "it is time for President Biden to impose sanctions on Ben-Gvir himself."
Tibi added that "the ban on Muslims praying in mosques during the holy month of Ramadan deserves to be discussed at the United Nations."
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