Sirens signaling possible incoming rockets were heard in areas surrounding Gaza shortly after Israeli police clashed with a group of worshippers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, with the Israeli police claiming it was a response to rioting.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, seven people were injured, and they stated in a press release that Israeli forces had prevented their medics from reaching the mosque.
The Israeli police issued a statement saying they were compelled to enter the compound after ‘masked agitators’ barricaded themselves inside the mosque, armed with fireworks, sticks, and stones.
The statement from the police mentioned that upon their entry, the agitators threw stones at them and fired fireworks from inside the mosque, resulting in one police officer getting wounded in the leg.
The foreign ministry of Egypt released a statement calling for an end to Israel’s ‘blatant assault’ on worshippers at the mosque.
An elderly woman sitting outside the mosque, struggling to catch her breath, told Reuters news agency, ‘I was sitting on a chair reciting [the Qur’an]. They [the police] hurled stun grenades, one of them hit my chest,’ as she began to cry.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza called for Palestinians from Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Israel to gather at the Al-Aqsa mosque and confront Israeli forces.
There has been a surge in violence in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem over the past year, and concerns are rising that tensions may further escalate this month due to the overlapping of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Judaism’s Passover, and Christian Easter.
The friction at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, known as the Temple Mount to Jews, has previously sparked violence.
Various Palestinian groups condemned the clashes between Israeli forces and worshippers, describing it as a crime.
‘We warn the occupation against crossing red lines at holy sites, which will lead to a big explosion,’ warned Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
Jordan’s foreign ministry also condemned the clashes at Al-Aqsa, while Egypt called for an immediate cessation of Israel’s ‘blatant assault on worshippers.’ Overall, the situation remains tense and volatile in the region.
Post Your Comments