Update: Injures and arresting 9 citizens during clashes inside Al-Aqsa Mosque
The Israeli Special Forces raided Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday morning and fired sound grenades and rubber bullets towards the worshippers and the people present in the courtyards. The raid was carried out to secure the settlers’ break-ins to Al-Aqsa Mosque during the “Sukkot” Jewish holiday after the Jewish extremist group called to break into Al-Aqsa Mosque on those days which start from Wednesday the 8th of October until Thursday the 16th of October; note that the settlers requested the police to prevent Muslims from entering Al-Aqsa. Al-Aqsa guards said that the forces prevented all Muslims from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque including the director of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Omar Kiswani, and several employees of the Islamic Awqaf as well as students since 6:30 in the morning; note that the forces prevented men under the age of 50 from performing the Dawn Prayer inside Al-Aqsa and they prayed at Al-Aqsa Gates. The guards said that the Israeli forces surrounded the Marabouts inside Al-Qibali Mosque and fired sound grenades and rubber bullets towards them which led to several injuries; note that the carpets of the Mosque caught on fire but was controlled and put off after the fire extinguishing staff stepped in. The guards also explained that the occupation forces assaulted and pushed them while they tried to go inside Al-Qibali Mosque. Ten minutes later, the fire extinguishing staff was able to go in the Mosque and control the fire despite the fact that the forces continued to fire sound grenades and Molotov cocktails towards the Marabouts. A group of extremists broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque through Dung Gate and carried out a tour into its courtyards after the forces assaulted the Muslim worshippers and forced them to empty the courtyards of Al-Aqsa. The forces arrested Abeer Ziad near Al-Majles Gate and witnesses said that the forces severely assaulted her and took off the veil from her head and also arrested an elderly from inside Al-Aqsa Mosque. The clashes lasted from 7:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. where dozens suffocated and 20 young men were injured with rubber bullets and shrapnel of sound grenades including one serious injury in the head; note that he was transferred to the hospital for treatment. It is noteworthy that the forces deliberately damaged the doors of Al-Qibali Mosque and broke its windows during the break-in. Nearly 60 extremists broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque through Dung Gate and carried out a tour into its courtyards. The forces also assaulted the guard Hamzeh Nimer and prevented him from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque. The police arrested five people from the gates of Al-Aqsa while they were trying to get in. Al-Aqsa and Al-Aytam students The prevented was not limited to men and women but was also extended to the students of the schools present inside Al-Aqsa including the boys and girls Al-Aqsa Schools. The student Anan Abu Hummus said: “They prevented us along with the women and old men from entering even though my school is located inside Al-Aqsa but they didn’t care. They even prevented the director and the teachers from entering and we all headed towards Al-Aqsa Gates but were still prevented. The forces assaulted and severely beat us including the female students.” He added: “As a student, I have the right to go to school and I was deprived from my rights in order to facilitate the settlers’ break-in to Al-Aqsa courtyards on their holidays.” The student Mohammad Mustafa from Al-Aytam school said: “We were heading to school through Al-Aqsa but the prevented us from entering. We were forces to walk a long distance until we reached the entrance of the school in Oqbat Al-Tkyeh but before getting there, we were surprised with the Special Forces attacking us and preventing us from reaching our school. They pushed us and assaulted us with batons on our hands and legs. The snipers went on the roof of the school in order to prevent any student from entering.” Paramedics The siege also affected the paramedics. A paramedic officer in the Arabs Paramedics Association, Eyad Abu Sneineh, said: “They prevented the paramedics from entering Al-Aqsa and assaulted them for no reason. We had calls to respond to inside Al-Aqsa to help the injured but we were unable to carry out our duties because of preventing us from entering and the humiliating way the Israeli forces used to deal with us.” Journalists The Israeli forces also suppressed all journalists working in all types of media and assaulted them and prevented them from filming in the areas that were evacuated in the surroundings of Al-Aqsa Mosque to prevent exposing their violations and practices.
