The holy stones of the Temple Mount were defaced with graffiti on Monday morning as the phrase, “יש שואה בעזה” (there is a Holocaust in Gaza) was spray-painted on the Southern Wall in a space designated for non-Orthodox prayer without gender separation.

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites of Israel, condemned the act as a grave desecration, showing blatant disrespect for the site’s sanctity.

“A holy place is not a place for protests, regardless of their nature, especially at the holiest site for the entire Jewish people,” Rabinovitch said. “Police must investigate, identify those responsible for this desecration, and bring them to justice.”

A similar incident took place in 2019 on the northern side of the Western Wall. Comprehensive halachic discussions were held on the subject of removing the inscription from the stones of the Wall. “This time too, the rabbi will instruct the professional authorities on how to clean and remove the inscription in a way that does not harm the sanctity of the stones,” it was stated.

Police have launched an investigation, and a 27-year-old resident of Jerusalem has been detained. He has admitted to spraying the inscription and expressed regret for doing so. He was released under restrictive conditions. The investigation also revealed that earlier in the day, the suspect committed a similar act on the wall of the Great Synagogue in the city center, where he sprayed several similar inscriptions.

“There is a Holocaust in Gaza.” The inscription is sprayed on the Western Wall. Photo: According to Section 27A of the Copyright Law