Breaking News: Israeli Forces Attack Muslim Worshipers at Al Aqsa Mosque
Jerusalem, MINA – Israeli occupation forces attacked Palestinian Muslim worshipers who were performing the Fajr prayer in congregation inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Friday.
Local media reported that dozens of people were injured when Israeli military forces fired rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas and stun grenades inside the courtyard and hall of the mosque in the dawn raid.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reports that it has treated dozens of the injured and transferred more than 60 people, many of them with injuries in the upper body, to hospitals in Jerusalem.
The Red Crescent has also set up a field hospital to treat many of the injuries thought to have resulted from the Israeli occupation forces attack.
Footage shared showed tear gas being fired inside the silver-domed Qibla hall, the main building on the site where congregational prayers are held.
The attack caused panic. Many of them the elderly, women and children, were attending the morning prayers, as has been the case every day since the start of the holy month of Ramadan two weeks ago, Wafa reported.
The attack occurred randomly when Israeli forces opened fire on Muslim worshipers of Palestinian civilians in all directions as they entered the walled holy compound without regard for the parents and children who were there.
Worshipers who live-streamed the attack on Instagram showed people trapped inside the mosque, and said Israeli forces were trying to forcibly expel them from the site. Buildings inside the compound had been damaged in the attack, according to eyewitness accounts.
The attack came as Palestinian Muslims prepare to attend the second Friday prayer of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque as tens of thousands of people are expected to be there.
On Friday, an estimated 80,000 people attended the first Friday prayers of Ramadan 1443H at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israel limits the number of Muslim worshipers from the West Bank trying to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque by restricting entry to Jerusalem to women of all ages and men over 50 years old. Most of the worshipers came from occupied East Jerusalem and Arab cities inside the Israeli-occupied territories.
The attacks also coincided with the Jewish holiday of Passover, which will start today and last until April 23, during which extremist Israeli settlers have vowed to attack Al-Aqsa Mosque and slaughter animals within its grounds as a religious sacrifice.
The groups have also advocated for the demolition of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where they believe two ancient Jewish temples once stood, to make way for a third temple.
Last year, several violent attacks by Israeli forces inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque sparked widespread demonstrations in the occupied West Bank and Palestinian communities inside Israel, leading to an 11-day war between Israel and armed groups in Gaza.
Israel’s massive military operation in the blockaded Strip killed 256 Palestinians, including 66 children, according to the United Nations. In Israel, 13 people were killed by rockets launched from Gaza. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
