Clashes erupted inside Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque early today as Israeli police entered to expel “agitators,” he said, in a move denounced as an “unprecedented crime” by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, has called on Palestinians in the West Bank “to go en masse to the Al-Aqsa mosque to defend it”. Israeli police said they entered the mosque to remove “agitators” who had fireworks, sticks and stones.
Jerusalem, clashes in the Al-Aqsa mosque
The mosque complex in the Israeli-annexed Old City of east Jerusalem has already seen clashes and violence between Palestinians and Israelis, particularly during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which draws tens of thousands of worshipers to Al-Aqsa. The Muslim holy site is built atop what Jews call the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. The new violence comes nearly halfway through Ramadan and as Jews prepare to celebrate their Passover, starting this evening.
Israeli police have released video images showing what appear to be fireworks exploding inside the mosque and people throwing stones. Another police video shows riot officers with shields advancing through the mosque under a barrage of blasts of fireworks. The footage then shows a barricaded door and boxes of fireworks on a carpet on the floor and the police escorting at least 5 people outside with their hands cuffed behind their backs.
After the announcement of the clashes in Al-Aqsa, several rockets were fired from the north of the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory. According to the Israeli army, 9 were launched, in particular in the direction of Sderot, a town near the Strip, where the alarm sirens had sounded. At least 4 rockets, adds the same source, were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. In response, the army repeatedly hit Hamas positions in Gaza with air force and artillery. Furthermore, an Israeli soldier – according to the spokesman – was injured in Hebron by gunfire during incidents.
Subsequently, a spokesman for the Israeli police reported that more than 350 people were “arrested or removed” by the agents “after violently barricading themselves” on the esplanade of the mosques. Among those arrested, he added, are “masked individuals, throwers of stones and fireworks and individuals suspected of desecrating the mosque”. “During the night – he explained – many dozens of young people who violated the
law and masked people smuggled fireworks, clubs and stones into the Mosque and violently barricaded themselves inside using iron bars, cabinets and other objects from the mosque.”
According to the police spokesman, those who barricaded themselves inside began to “incite” by blocking “the doors from the inside with obstacles and fortifications”. “After the failure of many continuous attempts to remove individuals from the mosque using dialogue, the police – continued the same source – were forced to enter the complex to remove the individuals, allow the Fajr prayer to take place as planned and prevent a violent uprising”.
“The assault on the Al-Aqsa mosque by the occupation forces and the attack on worshipers with this brutality requires urgent action
Palestinian, Arab and international”. This was stated by the PLO secretary Hussein al-Sheikh, quoted by Wafa, referring to last night’s events on the Esplanade of the Mosques. For al-Sheikh it is necessary “to place everyone before their responsibilities in protecting holy places and the faithful from the oppression of the occupation”.
And the Türkiye has condemned the forces of Israeli security for the clashes on the Esplanade of Mosque.“These attacks against those who pray at al-Aqsa mosque during the holy month of Ramadan are in no way acceptable,” reads one press release from the Ankara Foreign Ministry in which it comes expressed “concern” also for the situation in the Strip of Gaza and the Israeli government is asked to “stop immediately all provocations and attacks”.
For his part, the spokesman of the European Commission, Peter Stano, said that “l‘The EU is deeply concerned by the growing tensions and violence we witnessed during the night inside the Al-Aqsa mosque complex and at the same time we strongly condemn the chain attacks coming from Gaza towards Israel”, in the course of the daily briefing with the press.
“We reiterate our call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to refrain from actions that will contribute or could contribute to escalating already high tensions, particularly in this period of religious holidays,” the spokesman added.
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