Pictures and Details - A Martyr in Jerusalem ... Closing the Aqsa and Suppressing the Sit-ins at its Doors
=Palestinian young man Ahmad Mhameed from the city of Umm Al Fahm in the 1948 area of Palestine was shot dead by the occupation forces for allegedly attempting to implement stabbing in the Old City of Jerusalem, and specifically at the Majlis Gate - one of the gates of the Aqsa. The occupation forces closed Al Aqsa Mosque and prevented Maghrib and Isha’ prayers and forced worshipers to exit it.
The Israeli police said that the young man came out of the Aqsa Mosque through the Majlis Door, and stabbed one of the police members so they shot him. Police published a photograph showing the young man's attempt to stab a police officer but it did not document the shooting of the young man.
The occupation authorities turned Al Aqsa Mosque and Old City of Jerusalem into a military station, and arrested a group of young men.
Witnesses for Wadi Hilweh Information Center explained that the Israeli police closed the doors of Al Aqsa Mosque immediately after the martyrdom of the young man, and prevented entry or exit. Large forces were deployed on all its doors, especially at Majils door (Where the operation took place several meters away from it). Similarly in the old city entry and exit were blocked and metal barriers were set up on all the doors, but after about two hours exiting only was allowed and then the doors of the old city were opened while the siege of Al Aqsa continued.
The siege of the Aqsa Mosque and the kicking out of worshipers
During the closure and siege of Al Aqsa, the occupation forces expelled worshipers and prevented their presence in the chapels and squares, noting that most of them were elderly people. Dozens of officers, intelligence forces, soldiers and troops stormed into Al Aqsa Mosque and carried out a large-scale search in all its mosques, yards and alleys. Only the Aqsa guards remained in the mosque.
Women who were present at Huta gate- one of the doors of the Aqsa- all of whom were elderly women told the center that the Israeli police forced them out of the Aqsa Mosque while they were preparing themselves to have Iftar meal and perform Maghrib prayer in the mosque.they were also prevented from taking their personal belongings from the bags and personal identities and forced to leave them in the Dome of the Rock mosque.
An open sit-in ... repression and prosecution
Open sit-ins were announced on the doors of Al Aqsa in response to their closure, hundreds of worshipers performed Maghrib and Isha’ prayers on its doors. The largest gathering was at Asbat Door “Ghazali Square” and after performing the Maghrib prayer, the young men recited takbeers and religious songs. After Isha’ prayer calling, the protesters were surprised that they were suppressed by being beat and forced to evacuate Asbat Door area “from the inside and outside the old city wall”. The people present were assaulted by batons, beat and kicked then they were chased from one place to another to evacuate the area completely. The area turned into a chase and run between Israeli soldiers and the young men who wanted to perform Isha’ prayer and be present at the nearest point to the Aqsa.
The Center said that the young men insisted on returning to Asbat Door area – at the gate of the old city- and performed Isha’ prayer. While a group of worshipers, including Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories, and Sheikh Omar Al Kiswani, director of Al Aqsa, and engineer Adnan Al Husseini of praying in Ghazali Square.
The Israeli occupation forces arrested four young men after they were removed from Al Aqsa.
Al Wad Road
The camera of Wadi Hilweh Information Center documented the Israeli occupation police allowing settlers to enter and walk in Al Wad Street to the Buraq Wall (Wailing Wall), while Palestinians were prevented from walking in this street.
One of the citizens told the center: “It is clear racism from the occupation authorities, who allowed the settlers in large numbers to enter the area to pray their Saturday prayers, but for us the Aqsa has been closed down completely and we have been prevented from going and praying in it. Those who live in this street or nearby lanes have stayed in the street for more than 3 hours waiting to enter.”
In another incident, Israeli soldiers broke ranks of worshipers at Al Majlis Door during the performance of Maghrib prayer in an attempt to force them to end the prayer to secure the path for the settlers heading to the Wailing Wall area.
Al Sahra Door
Amjad Abu Assab, head of the committee of the families of the Jerusalemite prisoners said that the Israeli police arrested two young men from Al Sahira Door after beating them. While the cavalry troops also attacked citizens while preventing them from entering the town.
