Doha: Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and US President Donald Trump engaged in a phone call to The Maldives on Wednesday condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by extremist Israeli occupiers under the protection of Israeli forces. 'The Government of the Republic of Maldives strongly condemns the continued incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Israeli extremist settlers and the raising of the Israeli flag within its compound, under the protection of Israeli Occupation forces,' a Foreign Ministry statement said.

According to Anadolu Agency, such actions, along with the restrictions on worshippers' access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque constitute a violation of international law and represent a provocation aimed at undermining the sanctity, legal status, and deeply rooted historical and religious significance of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Maldives called on the international community to take urgent and decisive measures to hold Israel accountable for its continuous human rights violations and its disregard for the longstanding status quo governing one of the holiest sites for Muslims.

The ministry also reaffirmed its support for the Palestinian cause and called for urgent international action to protect Islamic religious sites and uphold the legitimate rights of the people of Palestine. On Sunday, Israeli occupiers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque under police protection, raised Israeli flags inside its courtyards and performed rituals.

Since 2003, Israeli police have unilaterally allowed the occupiers to enter the mosque daily during two periods-morning and afternoon prayers-except on Fridays and Saturdays. Palestinians say Israel is intensifying efforts to Judaize East Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erase its Arab and Islamic identity. The Palestinians regard East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, based on international resolutions that do not recognize Israel's occupation of the city in 1967 or its annexation in 1980.