Israeli occupation forces brutally attacked dozens of Palestinian worshipers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Tuesday night before forcibly expelling them from the site while they were observing the holy month of Ramadan.
Hundreds of women, men, elderly people and children were staying overnight to observe the I’tikaf at the al-Qibli prayer hall. Dozens of well-armed Israeli soldiers reportedly broke into the holy site last night, at around 10 pm, used stun grenades and fired tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets into the prayer hall.
The cries for help and chants of Allahu Akbar’ (Allah is the Greatest) from women and children could be heard as they closed the gates of the prayer hall to prevent the forces from entering it.
However, the forces shot tear gas into the building after breaking windows.
Medics said they were prevented by the Israeli forces from reaching the wounded at the holy site. One medic was attacked by an Israeli soldier and wounded outside one of the mosque’s gates.
Israeli forces also beat worshipers with batons and riot guns, wounding dozens, before arresting between 400-500 men.
Local sources said dozens were wounded in the assault and the injuries have included bruises, fractures and suffocation from inhaling tear gas.
The Israeli forces forcibly expelled the Muslim worshipers to make room for Israeli settlers to break into the holy site in the morning as extremist settlers intend to conduct ritual animal slaughter in the courtyards of the mosque as they mark the Jewish Passover, which starts tonight and lasts for a week.
Israeli forces closed Jerusalem’s Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque after the brutal raid. The mosque was briefly reopened for dawn prayer at around 5 am local time but forces also denied access to worshipers under the age of 40. After dawn prayer, Israeli forces once again dispersed worshipers and expelled them from the mosque to pave the way for settler stroming that began at around 7 am.
Following the raid, local mosques around occupied Jerusalem called on people through loudspeakers to march in support of the worshipers and the mosque. Confrontations between residents and Israeli forces also erupted in several areas across the city.
Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets in several cities in the occupied West Bank to condemn the brutal assault. Rallies also took place in Gaza and Umm al-Fahm.
Rockets were later fired from the Gaza Strip towards 1948-occupied Palestine in response to the assault. The rocket was followed by Israeli air strikes which targeted several locations in the besieged Gaza strip.
