On Wednesday during Ramadan, Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, assaulting worshippers and detaining several.
During the Holy Month of Ramadan, a time of spirituality and prayer at Islam’s third holiest site, violent action occurred. During the ruthless attack, Jewish forces assaulted dozens of worshippers, with viral videos showing women and children screaming in terror.
In addition to assaulting Palestinians, the Israeli army smashed the windows of Al Aqsa mosque.
Following a violent raid by Israeli police, Israeli jets also struck Gaza in response to rocket fire from Palestine. Meanwhile, neither side has reported any casualties.
Following the Israeli attacks, massive protests and condemnations erupted, with Hamas calling for widespread agitation.
Jordan has condemned Israel’s actions in Al Aqsa Mosque, while Egypt has asked Israel not to assault Palestinian worshippers.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, too, condemned the Israeli police action, saying such practices undermine peace efforts and reiterating its firm support for all efforts to end the occupation.
“I was sitting on a chair reciting (Qur’an),” an elderly woman told the Reuters news agency while sitting outside the mosque, struggling to catch her breath. “They hurled stun grenades, one of them hit my chest,” she said as she began to cry.
Israeli police said in a statement that they were forced to enter the compound after “masked agitators” locked themselves inside the mosque with fireworks, sticks, and stones.
“When the police entered, stones were thrown at them and fireworks were fired from inside the mosque by a large group of agitators,” the statement said, adding that a police officer was wounded in the leg.
“We warn the occupation against crossing red lines at holy sites, which will lead to a big explosion,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Palestinians regard Al-Aqsa as one of the few national symbols over which they have some control. They are, however, concerned about a slow encroachment by Jewish groups, similar to what happened at Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs), where half of the mosque was converted into a synagogue after 1967.
Palestinians are also concerned about far-right Israeli movements seeking to demolish the Islamic structures in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and replace them with a Jewish temple.
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