Closing Al-Rahmeh Gate…and worshippers remain inside Al-Aqsa Mosque
The occupation forces stormed on Monday the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and attacked the worshipers who were inside it, who came and filled the call to reject the chains and locks placed on the outer door of Al-Rahmeh Gate inside Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Chains and locks
The Department of Islamic Endowments explained in a statement today: "The occupation police placed yesterday the iron chains with a lock on the door at the top of the stairs leading to the building of the Al-Rahmeh Gate, and this is part of a series of attacks on Al-Rahmeh Gateby the Israeli police since 2003 when The Inspector General of the Police decided to close it on the pretext of the existence of a terrorist organization called the "Heritage Committee", which never existed in this place. The police continued to renew the closure decision despite the objections of the Islamic Endowments Department and its repeated demand to cancel this decision. The police responded in 2017 by turning the case to the Israeli court and file a lawsuit against the Islamic Endowments Department and the Heritage Committee and prosecute them under the anti-terrorism law and take a judicial decision to close Al-Rahmeh Gateindefinitely without specifying a date for this while maintaining the confidentiality of the file.
Prayers at Al-Rahmeh Gate
The youths performed the Noon, Afternoon, Evening and Night prayers at the closed door of Al-Rahmeh Gate, as they chanted to Al-Aqsa Mosque and chanted religious songs.
After the end of the Noon prayer, a march took place in the area of Al-RahmehGate, and a group of young men broke the iron door closed with chains by the Israeli police, and managed to take off parts of it. The police took pictures of the young men and then chased and arrested some of them from the courtyards of Al-Aqsa.
Assault, arrest and beating
Tension arose in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque after the Noon prayer, after harassing the young men and students of Al-Aqsa schools in an attempt to carry out arrests, and altercations using hands broke out between the worshipers and the occupation forces, which spread in Al-Aqsa.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center said that the Israeli occupation forces severely beat and arrested a group of young men. They also arrested an employee of the Islamic Endowments Department, Nazmiya Bkeirat, and severelybeat her.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center learned that the detainees were: Nour Shalabi, Mohammad Zghayyar, Hussam Seder, Ammar Kastiro, Yousef Hawash and Mohammad Shweiki.
After several hours of detention at Al-Qishla police station in the Old City of Jerusalem, some were released on condition of being isolated from the al-Aqsa for varying periods between 7 days and 15 days.
In the area of Damascus Gate, the occupation forces arrested Sheikh Omar Daana and took him to investigation.
Closing the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque
Following the arrests and assaults, the Israeli police closed all the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque and prevented entry to it. The iron barriers were placed on its gates from the inside and outside. The squares were also evacuated by force, especially the youths of Al-Aqsa schools. Concurrently, dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in the afternoon break-in session. Half an hour later, the forces opened the gates.
