Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Friday invaded the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the surrounding Al-Haram Al-Sharif compound in the occupied city of Jerusalem (Al-Quds), attacking Palestinian worshippers and injuring hundreds in the process.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society that treated the injured Palestinians [1], the IOF entered the compound before sunrise as thousands of Palestinian worshippers began the day’s fast and prepared for the dawn prayer.
Further to attacking the defenceless worshippers, the occupation forces reportedly prevented the arrival and access of medics and ambulances to those gravely injured by Israeli aggression in the Mosque and as a result dozens of injured worshippers laid trapped in the compound.
The IOF claim their invasion was in response to a supposed violent crowd that had gathered outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque but there are no credible reports to verify this claim and video footage circulating on social media shows IOF forces firing tear gas and rubber bullets at defenceless Palestinian worshippers barricaded in the Mosque.
In one video, taken at the entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, an “Israeli” policeman can be seen violently shoving an old Palestinian worshipper. The old man was simply standing there and was in no way violent or aggressive to the occupation forces. [2]
Explosions from tear gas canisters and stun grenades rang loudly and simultaneously throughout the Mosque and the structure’s beautiful and ornate stained glass was shattered as occupation militias fired rubber bullets through them.
“They brutally emptied the compound. They were attacking the mosque staff, normal people, elders, young people,” [3] Palestinian camera man Rami al-Khatib said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
“There were many injured people, they fired rubber bullets inside Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. They were beating everyone, even the paramedics, they hit them.”
Palestinian camera man Rami al-Khatib
According to local reports, occupation forces invaded the Haram Al-Sharif compound without any pretext, warning or explanation. This uncalled for and unprovoked escalation of violence came amid calls by far-right and fascists zionist groups for raids against the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Jewish Passover holiday.
“These forces are aiming to pave the road for the occupiers to celebrate their festivals in Al-Aqsa and thus have control over it and claim it for them. More than 400 Muslims defending Al-Aqsa were severely injured and hundreds were also arrested. The cowardly occupation will never be able to take control of the Ummah’s third holiest place as it has these brave young Muslims.”
Shaykh Dr Haitham al-Haddad [4]
Friday’s violence by the occupation fighters signifies an annual trend by the Israeli government in which settlers of the last remaining European colony in the Middle East routinely and violently attack harmless and defenceless Palestinian worshippers in the blessed and holy month of Ramadan.
In 2021, the IOF carried out similar violent attacks against worshippers observing the nightly Tarawih prayers, indiscriminately firing stun grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets at worshippers as they stood in prayer. These unprovoked attacks force the Palestinian worshippers to defend themselves with chairs and stones, for not doing so would lead to arrest or even death.
The ensuing violence imposed on the defenceless Palestinian worshippers by the occupation forces elicited a response by the government in the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip who launched missiles against the occupation forces in response to their aggression, drawing aggression away from Aqsa and towards themselves instead.
Despite themselves being occupied and besieged, they were described as the only government to have effectively responded to such senseless and gruesome attacks meted out against Palestinian worshippers whilst the international community offered unsuccessful calls for ‘calm’ and ‘peace’.
As a result of Gaza’s response, the occupation forces redirected their violence and aggression on the people of Gaza by launching yet another invasion and war in which thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians were murdered or injured and the Gaza Strip driven further into economic despair and destruction.
It is not yet know whether similar events will repeat themselves this year during Ramadan but the violent and senseless actions undertaken by the occupation forces paint a gruesome reality for many Palestinians who simply want to observe this blessed month in peace.
“Simply seeing Israeli police actually inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque with men laying face down on the carpet, hearing the bang-bang of stun grenades, seeing the cloud of tear gas, seeing distressed Palestinians being carted outside of the compound after being injured…deeply outraged and upset Palestinians.”
Al Jazeera’s Natasha Ghoneim [3]
Despite the attacks, however, it is reported that over 50,000 worshippers attended Friday prayers in defiance of the occupation’s aggression, with #HandsOffAlAqsa trending on social media.
Source: Islam21c
Notes:
[1] https://twitter.com/PalestineRCS/status/1514884851899510784?s=20&t=DN6MU-f6Ii0nmtwveS39SA
[2] https://twitter.com/MuhammadSmiry/status/1514866471133921286?s=20&t=5-2oiSr8GNZjvE_cgn_ejA
[4] https://www.facebook.com/100050151294211/posts/543673123981059/?sfnsn=mo
