Israeli forces attack Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, injuring more than 150 Palestinians

Middle East, News April 16, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Israeli Police raided the Al Aqsa Mosque on Friday, April 15, in East Jerusalem. The medics have reported at least 158 Palestinians were injured during the raid.

Sources have reported that the raid was carried out at dawn, as thousands of Muslim worshipers had gathered for their morning prayers in the Al Aqsa mosque. Hundreds were detained by the Israeli Police as the result of the raid.

As soon as the raid started, Palestinians started throwing stones and rocks at the Israeli forces whereas the police started firing tear gas and stunned grenades at the crowd. Some worshipers barricaded themselves inside the mosque during the raid as the Israeli forces threw smoke grenades inside the mosque forcing them to come outside.

The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency response services reported that the majority of evacuated worshipers were sent to the hospital for treatment. Other sources reported that one Palestinian guard was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet.

The Red Crescent added that the Israeli forces hindered the evacuation operation and stopped the arrival of ambulances at the scene. Palestinian media also reported that dozens of wounded worshipers remained trapped inside the mosque due to the hindrance in the evacuation operation caused by the Israeli forces.

Israeli police said that the operation was carried out to arrest the individuals that they claimed were involved in inciting insurgence and disrupting the Israeli force’s operations in the area of Jenin. The Israeli Police claim that they entered the compound to break up the ‘violent’ crowd that remained at the mosque by the end of the morning prayers. They claimed that they went in to disperse the crowd that had been throwing stones at the nearby Jewish prayer site of West Wall.

According to the sources from the Israeli Police, more than 300 people were arrested during the raid while Palestinian sources claim that the number of arrested Palestinians is more than 400.

*^{Israeli border guards detain a Palestinian boy during a demonstration outside the main entrance to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. (Image Credit: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/via Getty Images)}*

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned Israel’s actions at the compound, saying it held it “fully and directly responsible for this crime and its consequences”.

The recent surge in violence in Jerusalem comes at a volatile time, as Muslim Palestinians are observing the holy month of Ramadan which coincides with the Jewish festival of Passover and the Christian Easter festival. Last year during the month of Ramadan, similar raids from Israeli forces lead to an escalation between Israel and Hamas. Following the raid on the Al Aqsa mosque, Hamas issued a call to all Palestinian Muslims in the West Bank and Israel to unite together in order to defend the third holiest site of Islam.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Spokesperson Ofir Gendelman said that he would not allow the Palestinian rioters to disrupt the Jewish prayers, especially during the Passover festival. He accused the Palestinians of starting the scuffle with the Israeli forces by throwing stones at the Jewish worshipers.

Thousands of Muslims are expected to gather at the Al Aqsa mosque in the coming weeks, especially to attend the Friday prayers in the holy month of Ramadan, while a similar gathering would be observed at the Jewish compound for the Passover festival. This may lead to a further escalation of violence and insurgency.