Israeli forces have entered the Masjid al-Aqsa in East Jerusalem for the third time since the start of the month of Ramadan. This morning, armed forces escorting Israeli immigrants forcibly evacuated Muslims from the courtyard. The Wafa news agency reported that several Israeli officers arrived with weapons, including snipers, and climbed onto the roofs of mosques and nearby buildings.
The Masjid al-Aqsa is one of the holiest places of worship for Muslims around the world, after the Kaaba in Makkah and the Masjid al-Nabawi in Madinah. Right-wing Israeli groups have said they will enter Aqsa from Sunday as part of the Jewish Passover holiday. The Islamic Waqf, which governs al-Aqsa, said more than 500 Jewish immigrants had already entered the mosque and were being assisted by the Israeli army and police. Islamic Waqf is a Palestinian-Jordanian joint venture.
This is the third time since the start of Ramadan this year that the Israeli army has entered Aqsa and unleashed violence against believers. Troops stormed the church on Friday and Sunday, wreaking havoc and beating worshipers, including women and children. The Israeli army used tear gas and barricaded the silver-roofed Qibli prayer hall for four hours.
Scenes of the church’s old windows being shot down by the military and physically abusing elderly believers were widely reported on social media.
Members of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society arrived to provide first aid to those injured in the Israeli atrocities, but were denied access to the mosque compound. The injured were taken out in a stretcher.
Several right-wing Israeli organizations have stated that their goal is to seize East Jerusalem, which includes al-Aqsa and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which are considered sacred by Christians, and to demolish centuries-old Muslim and Christian places of worship and build a ‘third temple’ for Jews there.