ALBAWABA- In a highly symbolic and controversial move, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the Western Wall—located just west of the Al-Aqsa Mosque—where he publicly recited a prayer written by President Donald Trump.
“We pray for the safe return of all hostages to their homes,” Huckabee declared during the visit, which comes amid mounting tensions in occupied East Jerusalem.
In his new role as U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee told Fox News that he would first pray at the Western Wall as a symbolic act of solidarity.
He emphasized that this gesture reflects the United States’ support for Israel, adding that the prayer would be placed on behalf of President Trump and the American people.
“The Israelis know that the President stands with them—their safety and security is our top priority,” he affirmed.
The visit coincided with a third consecutive day of Israeli settler and official incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under heavy police protection, timed with the Jewish Passover celebrations and the Christian Holy Week.
The provocative storming of the mosque has intensified fears of a broader religious escalation in the already volatile region.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 20 Palestinian civilians since dawn.
Among the dead were two people in a tent sheltering displaced families in Al-Tawam, northern Gaza, and five more whose bodies were pulled from the rubble of homes in Tel al-Zaatar, north of Gaza.
Another ten martyrs were recovered from targeted homes in Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense. Israeli helicopters also launched attacks on eastern neighborhoods of Gaza City, further exacerbating the humanitarian toll.
The juxtaposition of US diplomatic gestures at contested religious sites and the escalating military campaign in Gaza has drawn criticism from Palestinian officials and observers, who view such actions as deepening divisions and ignoring the historical rights of the Palestinian people and their ongoing suffering.
