On the dawn of the fourteenth day of the Holy Muslim month of Ramadan, dozens of Israeli soldiers and police officers invaded the Al-Aqsa Mosque and its courtyards and caused excessive damage, especially to the Al-Qibli Mosque in the holy compound, wounding dozens of Palestinians, in addition to abducting at least 200 worshipers.
Firas Al-Jebrini, a lawyer with Wadi Hilweh Information Center In Silwan (Silwanic), said, by about three at dawn, the number of Palestinians abducted by the army and the police reached at least 200 worshipers and that the number is likely to increase due to ongoing invasions and violations.
Al-Jebrini added that the abducted Palestinians would likely be moved to the military base between Al-Isawiya and Anata in Jerusalem, similar to last year’s Ramadan when the army abducted and detained more than 450 worshipers.
The soldiers and police officers also stormed and caused excessive damage to the Al-Qibli Mosque in Al-Aqsa, and injured dozens of worshipers, including women and children, while many fainted after being clubbed by the soldiers and the police.
Furthermore, the soldiers hurled concussion grenades into the Al-Qibli Mosque and cut the power while trying to force the worshipers out.
The soldiers also invaded and caused serious damage to the clinic in Al-Aqsa and assaulted many Palestinians, causing fractures and serious bruises before preventing Palestinian medics from entering the holy compound.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said the army and the police prevented its medics from entering the Al-Aqsa, assaulted many of them in the Bab Al-Asbat area, in addition to causing damage to several ambulances.
The invasions and violations lasted more than five hours, starting at midnight, including invasions and closures of streets and alleys in the Old City to prevent the Palestinians from entering the holy site.
The invasions and serious violations in Al-Aqsa occurred amidst increased calls and plans by fanatic illegal colonizers and right-wing organizations to force the Muslim worshipers out to celebrate Pesach and to perform animal sacrifices, especially after a fanatic group offered a 20.000 Shekels prize to any colonizer who succeeds in slaughtering a lamb or a sheep, and 5000 Shekels to anyone who is caught by the police trying to bring a sacrificial lamb to the holy site.
It is worth mentioning that Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and several Arab and Islamic countries issued statements condemning the attack, the serious Israeli escalation, and violations of International Law and all international regulations and treaties regarding protecting holy sites and civilian populations.
In Gaza, Palestinian resistance factions fired many shells into adjacent Israeli areas in retaliation to the Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa and warned that these violations could lead to a serious escalation in the region.
The Israeli Air Force fired many missiles into sites southwest and northwest of Gaza City, the Nusseirat refugee camp and Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, and Khan Younis in southern Gaza, causing serious damage, while the Navy fired at Palestinian fishing boats in the Sudaniyya Sea area, northwest of Gaza.
