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Türkiye on Sunday strongly condemned a raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli ministers and settler groups under the protection of Israeli police, calling it a grave provocation that threatens regional peace and stability.
In a written statement shared on X, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the sacred character of Jerusalem must be safeguarded, describing it as a responsibility of "the collective conscience of humanity," not just a regional concern.
"These systematic provocations by the occupying power Israel, together with recent calls for annexation, target the foundations of the two-state solution and gravely undermine aspirations for peace," the ministry said.
The ministry reiterated the urgent need for a ceasefire and renewed its call for a just and lasting peace based on a two-state solution, citing Israel’s destabilizing actions in Palestine and across the broader region.
Türkiye's Communications Director Burhanettin Duran on Sunday also condemned "in the strongest terms" a raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli ministers.
"Targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque is part of Israel’s dirty war and genocide; it is a vile provocation and an attempt to occupy Al-Aqsa," Duran wrote on X.
"As our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has stated: 'Al-Aqsa Mosque is our red line," he added.
Stressing that Ankara will always defend the sanctity of Al-Aqsa, as it represents "our common heritage and collective memory," Duran added: "We continue to stand by all our Palestinian brothers and sisters.
Early Sunday, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led a large group of settlers in a mass incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to mark the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third-holiest site in Islam. Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount, which they believe was the site of two ancient Jewish temples.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where the mosque is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and later annexed the entire city in 1980 — a move not recognized by the international community.
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