In the middle of the holy month, Israeli police storm the Al-Aqsa mosque.
In retaliation for the attack on Al-Aqsa, Israeli soldiers carry out airstrikes against Palestinian sites in response to reports of rocket fire.
GAZA/JERUSALEM: Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem before dawn on Wednesday, allegedly in response to ‘rioting’ that sparked violent retaliation across the West Bank and cross-border attacks in Gaza.
Fears that tensions built up during a year of escalating violence at the Al-Aqsa mosque, where clashes in 2021 sparked 10-days of attacks by Israel on Gaza, could be released led to the incident, which occurred during the holy month of Ramadan and on the eve of the Jewish Passover.
At least nine rockets were fired from Gaza by Palestinian freedom fighters overnight, triggering airstrikes from Israel, which hit what it claimed were Hamas “training centers,” igniting explosions that could be heard throughout the coastal strip that is under embargo.
According to eyewitnesses, Israeli tanks also reportedly blasted Hamas positions along the border fence in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, 12 Palestinians were hurt during skirmishes with Israeli police by beatings and rubber-tipped bullets. It further stated that its medics were unable to access the location due to Israeli soldiers.
Fahmi Abbas, a mosque worshiper, said, “In the yard to the eastern part of the compound, the police fired tear gas and stun grenades. It was a scene that I can’t describe. “After that, they barged in and began hitting everyone. They seized people and assaulted the young men while they were face down on the ground.”
Security personnel were “forced to enter” the compound, according to Israeli police, who claimed that masked agitators had barricaded themselves inside the mosque with fireworks, sticks, and stones.
The statement said that as the police entered, “a big number of agitators threw stones at them and launched fireworks from within the mosque,” adding that a police officer was injured in the leg.
In anticipation of potential clashes with Jewish visitors to the area, which they revere as the Temple Mount and the location of Judaism’s two ancient Temples, thousands of worshippers have been spending the night in the mosque compound.
According to Palestinian attorney Firas al-Jibrini, police detained over 500 people and took them in for questioning.
Arab nations had a strong response to the occurrence. While Saudi Arabia, with whom Israel hopes to normalize relations, said Israel’s “storming” of Al-Aqsa undermined peace efforts, Jordan and Egypt, two countries involved in recent US-backed efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, issued separate statements strongly condemning the incident.
Israel’s attacks on worshipers were denounced by the Palestinian leadership as crimes.
According to Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, “We warn the occupation against breaching red lines at holy places, which may lead to a massive explosion.”
In battles with Palestinians in the West Bank village of Beit Ummar, an Israeli soldier was shot and injured, according to the Israeli military.
During the last year, Israeli police have killed more than 250 Palestinians in the West Bank and made tens of thousands of arrests there, while Palestinian assaults have claimed the lives of more than 40 Israelis and three Ukrainians.
In a 1967 battle, Israel took control of East Jerusalem, including the Old City, which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and later annexed it in a decision that was not recognized internationally. Israel views Jerusalem as its indivisible, permanent capital.
Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza want East Jerusalem to serve as the nation’s capital.
