Evidence

Multiple independent outlets (Middle East Eye, IQNA, Mehr News Agency, PressTV, the Palestinian Information Center/palinfo, and Palestine Uncensored) consistently report that Hamas political bureau member Khaled Meshaal made a statement warning that Israeli actions and measures around Al-Aqsa Mosque — including a reported 40-day closure, 'imposition of temporal division' to facilitate incursions by religious Jewish groups, and efforts at 'spatial division' by emptying key facilities — are 'paving the way for total control and domination over the site.' The wording and framing are consistent across these sources, and several attribute it to a statement/symposium Meshaal gave, originally reported via Al Jazeera. Separately, the underlying factual detail of a 40-day closure of Al-Aqsa is independently corroborated: an AFP-sourced report (via Malay Mail) confirms Al-Aqsa was closed to worshippers for roughly 40 days (Feb 28–April 9, 2026) amid the US-Israel military action against Iran, which matches Meshaal's reference. However, no fact-checking organization (Reuters Fact Check, AFP Fact Check, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo) was found to have specifically evaluated Meshaal's broader characterization that these actions constitute a coordinated push toward 'total Israeli control' of Al-Aqsa — that is Meshaal's own political interpretation and warning, not an independently verified factual claim.