[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]GAZA/JERUSALEM – Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem before dawn on Wednesday, claiming it was in response to ‘rioting’ that sparked a furious response across the West Bank and cross-border strikes in Gaza.
The incident occurred during the holy month of Ramazan, on the eve of the Jewish Passover, amid fears that tensions built up during a year of escalating violence could be unleashed at the Al-Aqsa mosque, where clashes in 2021 triggered 10-days of Israeli attacks on Gaza.
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Overnight, Palestinian freedom fighters launched at least nine rockets from Gaza, prompting Israel to launch air strikes against what it claimed were Hamas “training camps,” resulting in ground-shaking explosions heard across the blockaded coastal strip.
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According to witnesses, Israeli tanks also shelled Hamas positions along the border fence in the Gaza Strip’s south.
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According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, 12 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police due to rubber-tipped bullets and beatings. It went on to say that Israeli forces were preventing its medics from getting to the area.
“The police fired tear gas and stun grenades in the yard to the eastern part of the compound, it was a scene that I can’t describe,” said Fahmi Abbas, a mosque worshipper. “They stormed in and began beating everyone. They detained people and threw young men face down on the ground while beating them.”
In a statement, Israeli police claimed that security units were “forced to enter” the compound after “masked agitators” locked themselves inside the mosque with fireworks, sticks, and stones.
“When the police entered, a large group of agitators threw stones at them and fired fireworks from inside the mosque,” the statement claimed, adding that a police officer was injured in the leg.
Thousands of worshippers have spent the night in the mosque compound, fearing clashes with Jewish visitors to the site known as the Temple Mount, the location of Judaism’s two ancient Temples.
According to Palestinian lawyer Firas al-Jibrini, police detained around 500 people and questioned them.
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Arab countries reacted angrily to the incident. Jordan and Egypt, both involved in recent US-backed efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, issued strong condemnations, while Saudi Arabia, with whom Israel hopes to normalise relations, said Israel’s “storming” of Al-Aqsa undermined peace efforts.
The Palestinian leadership condemned Israel’s attacks on worshippers, calling them crimes.
“We warn the occupation not to cross red lines at holy sites, as this will result in a large explosion,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
An Israeli soldier was shot and wounded during clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank town of Beit Ummar, according to the Israeli military.
Over the last year, Israeli forces have made thousands of arrests in the West Bank and killed over 250 Palestinians, while Palestinian attacks have killed more than 40 Israelis and three Ukrainians.
In a 1967 war, Israel captured East Jerusalem, including the Old City, which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and later annexed it in a move that was not recognised internationally. It regards Jerusalem as its indivisible and eternal capital.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of their proposed independent state in the West Bank and Gaza.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
