JERUSALEM: Israeli police clashed with Palestinian worshippers inside the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on Wednesday, leading to a military exchange of rockets and air strikes.
The incident occurred during the Jewish Passover holiday, which coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Armed police in riot gear stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque’s prayer hall before dawn with the aim of removing “law-breaking youths and masked agitators” who had barricaded themselves inside following evening prayers.
Video footage showed officers being bombarded with rocks and fireworks as they entered. More than 350 arrests were made during the raid, which drew condemnation from Muslim countries and threats from Palestinian groups.
A Palestinian witness alleged that the police used force and beat worshippers with batons, tear gas grenades, and smoke bombs.
Israeli forces storm Al-Aqsa Mosque
A video circulating on social media showed officers clubbing people on the floor inside the mosque.
The Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) said it had treated 37 people for injuries, some of whom were injured after their release from custody.
Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, voiced his “complete backing” for the police and praised their “swift and determined” actions.
In response, the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, called on West Bank Palestinians “to go en masse to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque to defend it.”
Rockets were fired overnight from Gaza Strip into Israel, prompting retaliatory Israeli air strikes. No casualties were reported.
The Al-Aqsa mosque in east Jerusalem is Islam’s third holiest site and is built on top of what Jews call the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site.
It has been a frequent flashpoint, especially during Ramadan, and clashes there in May 2021 set off the latest Gaza war that raged for 11 days.
Palestinian civil affairs minister Hussein al-Sheikh denounced the Israeli police action inside Al-Aqsa mosque, saying, “the level of brutality requires urgent Palestinian, Arab and global action.”
The Arab League condemned “the attack on the faithful” and called an emergency meeting for Wednesday afternoon. Jordan, which administers the Al-Aqsa mosque, condemned its “storming” and called on Israeli troops to leave the compound immediately.
Saudi Arabia categorically rejected the actions that contradict “international principles and norms in respect of religious sanctities.” Egypt, a frequent mediator in the conflict, said it “holds Israel, the occupying power, responsible for this dangerous escalation.”
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has intensified since the most right-wing government in Israel’s history took office in late December under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
So far this year, it has claimed the lives of at least 91 Palestinians, 15 Israelis, and one Ukrainian, according to an AFP tally based on official sources from both sides. On the Palestinian side, those killed include combatants as well as civilians.
On the Israeli side, they include two members of the Arab minority.
