Israel’s Ben-Gvir Storms Al-Aqsa Mosque, Prompting Condemnation

Israeli police closed the entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque after the visit of extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday (Reuters)
Israeli police closed the entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque after the visit of extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday (Reuters)
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Israel’s Ben-Gvir Storms Al-Aqsa Mosque, Prompting Condemnation

Israeli police closed the entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque after the visit of extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday (Reuters)
Israeli police closed the entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque after the visit of extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday (Reuters)

In a highly controversial move, extremist Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Negev and Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, along with various right-wing extremist groups, staged a provocative visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque on the anniversary of the Jewish “Temple Destruction.”

This visit has drawn widespread condemnation from Palestinian, Arab, and international communities, with warnings of escalating tensions and potential new cycles of violence in the region.

Israeli activists and police reported that Ben-Gvir was among approximately two thousand Jewish visitors who entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards on Thursday.

Among them, 16 individuals were detained by the police on charges of “kneeling and singing,” as reported by AFP.

While Jews are permitted to visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque, they are prohibited from praying there.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli minister’s and a group of settlers’ storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard.

Palestinian Presidential Spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh stated that the intrusion by an “extremist minister in the Israeli occupation government” into the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a dangerous act that contributes to escalating tensions.

The incident also drew condemnation from Egypt, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, Qatar, Türkiye, and Jordan. Palestinian factions also vowed to take “revenge” in response to the storming.

Meanwhile, a group calling themselves the “Al-Ayash Brigade” in Jenin, in the northern West Bank, fired a rocket towards an Israeli settlement on Thursday morning.

The group issued a statement saying that the rocket was launched in retaliation for the mosque’s invasion, adding that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a “red line” that they will not allow to be crossed, and that “greater things are yet to come.”

The rocket launch comes as Israeli security officials claim that a new military operation in Jenin is becoming inevitable, but it will not be as extensive as the recent two-day operation that occurred earlier this month.



Sudan Waterborne Disease Outbreak Kills 24, Hospitalizes 800, Says MSF

A truck drives past a Sudanese army tank at the entrance of Wad Madani in Sudan's al-Jazira state on February 20, 2025, after the regular army forces reclaimed the area from its rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last month. (AFP)
A truck drives past a Sudanese army tank at the entrance of Wad Madani in Sudan's al-Jazira state on February 20, 2025, after the regular army forces reclaimed the area from its rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last month. (AFP)
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Sudan Waterborne Disease Outbreak Kills 24, Hospitalizes 800, Says MSF

A truck drives past a Sudanese army tank at the entrance of Wad Madani in Sudan's al-Jazira state on February 20, 2025, after the regular army forces reclaimed the area from its rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last month. (AFP)
A truck drives past a Sudanese army tank at the entrance of Wad Madani in Sudan's al-Jazira state on February 20, 2025, after the regular army forces reclaimed the area from its rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last month. (AFP)

An “out-of-control” waterborne disease outbreak in southern Sudan has killed at least two dozen and left more than 800 others in hospital over the past three days, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Friday.

The outbreak in White Nile state followed a reported drone strike on the Um Dabakar power station 170 miles south of the capital Khartoum which disrupted access to clean water in the city of Kosti.

It comes with Sudan’s healthcare system crippled by the country’s brutal civil war which has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 12 million people.

“The most likely source of infection is the river, where many families have been collecting water using donkey carts after a major power outage in the area,” the medical charity said in a statement.

Officials have since banned the practice and urged stronger chlorination of the water distribution system. Most local restaurants and Kosti’s market have closed as a precaution.

The outbreak has overwhelmed the cholera treatment center at Kosti Teaching Hospital, the French-based charity said, with patients suffering from “acute diarrhea, dehydration, vomiting, and sunken eyes.”

“The situation is really alarming and is about to get out of control,” Dr Francis Layoo Ocan, MSF’s medical coordinator in Kosti.

“We’ve run out of space, and we are now admitting patients in an open area and treating them on the floor because there are not enough beds,” he added.

Rising toll

MSF, which has been supporting cholera care in the region since October, reported a sharp rise in admissions from Wednesday night, when 100 new patients arrived at the cholera treatment center.

By Friday afternoon, that figure had swelled to more than 800. At least 24 people have died, including one patient who was dead on arrival. Forty-eight others have been discharged.

“The numbers continue to rise, and keeping a detailed tally has become difficult for the team,” MSF said.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a conflict between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The fighting has taken a toll on the country’s health infrastructure with 80 percent of health facilities in conflict-affected areas no longer functioning, according to official figures.

Sudan declared a cholera epidemic last year, with nearly 25,000 cases and 699 deaths recorded by October, according to government data.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that cholera can kill within hours if untreated, though most cases can be managed with oral rehydration and antibiotics.

The International Committee of the Red Cross last month highlighted a “disturbing pattern of attacks” on civilian infrastructure, including power stations, further worsening living conditions for millions already affected by the conflict.

White Nile state, which stretches from south of Khartoum to the South Sudanese border, has seen escalating violence this week.

A three-day RSF assault on villages about 200 kilometers north of Kosti killed more than 200 people earlier this week.