Sources confirmed to Al-Jazeera that the Israeli occupation forces stormed this morning, the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and dispersed gatherings of Palestinian worshipers, before dozens of settlers stormed the Temple Mount.

After the occupation forces stormed the courtyards of the Temple Mount at dawn today, they arrested Palestinians inside the compound and at the Lions Gate, with the worshipers besieged inside the Al-Qibli Mosque and the Dome of the Rock mosque since the dawn prayer, then dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa in the form of groups, under the protection of the occupation forces.

Al-Jazeera correspondent in Jerusalem, Guevara Al-Budairi, said that these measures implemented by the occupation fall within its efforts to divide the time and space of the Temple Mount.

The correspondent added that 3 groups of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and roamed around it, chanting religious slogans.

Amidst the settlers’ laughter and dances,


the occupation soldiers arrest a young man from inside the squares of #Al-Aqsa after assaulting him pic.twitter.com/5gKNErjWo9

— Jerusalem Compass (@alqudsalbawsal1) April 17, 2022

The director of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Omar Al-Kiswani, stated that the occupation closed most of the gates of the Old City in Jerusalem since dawn, and only opened 3 doors. He added that the occupation forces fired sound bombs at worshipers inside the Al-Qibli Mosque, and are trying to storm it through the clinic adjacent to it.

The young Jerusalemite Anas Abdel-Fattah, who is trapped inside the Al-Qibli Mosque, reported that there are many cases of suffocation inside the mosque as a result of the firing of tear gas canisters, as well as two injuries with rubber bullets, in light of the inability of the ambulance crews to enter or exit the Al-Qibli Mosque to help the injured.

distress calls

Al-Jazeera correspondent said that the besieged detainees inside the Al-Qibli Mosque issued distress calls through loudspeakers, calling on Palestinians from inside Jerusalem and the Green Line to flock to the Temple Mount to protect it from the violations of the occupation.

A number of Palestinian youths threw stones at a bus carrying settlers who stormed the Temple Mount, and Israeli sources stated that 5 settlers were injured by the stone throwing.

Today's incursions by settlers are particularly sensitive, as it coincides with the Jewish Passover holiday, which began on Friday evening and lasts for a week.

Settler groups have called for an intensification of incursions during the Easter period, and settlers' incursions continue during the morning period for 3 and a half hours, according to paths determined by the occupation forces.

Press coverage: "The occupation forces secure the settlers storming the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in groups until the moment" pic.twitter.com/SdaZQzBzU9

— AlQastal Al Qastal (@AlQastalps) April 17, 2022

Al-Jazeera correspondent stated that the Palestinian Red Crescent issued a statement in which it said that 17 Palestinians were injured in clashes today, Sunday, with the occupation in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Red Crescent added that it transported 5 wounded to the hospital, noting that the occupation forces prevent Palestinian ambulance crews from entering the courtyards of the compound.

The occupation forces took the initiative to close the gates of the Old City in occupied Jerusalem, and required worshipers to leave their IDs upon entering.

hit worshipers

Al-Jazeera correspondent said that the occupation forces assaulted a number of Palestinians at Bab Hutta, which is one of the gates of the Temple Mount, and arrested a number of them.

Anadolu Agency quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the Israeli police initially closed the gates of the Old City of occupied Jerusalem with iron barriers, and prevented all worshipers from outside the town from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform the dawn prayer.

But witnesses said the police eased restrictions, allowing worshipers to enter while holding some ID cards at the mosque's gates.

The preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, told Al-Jazeera that the occupation "practises terrorism in Al-Aqsa, suppresses worshipers and prevents freedom of worship." Sheikh Sabri held the government of Israel responsible for what is happening in Jerusalem. .

Meanwhile, the Governor of Jerusalem, Adnan Ghaith, said that what is happening in Jerusalem is “a process of repression and terrorism against the worshipers inside the Temple Mount in this holy month in order to provide protection for the leaders of the terrorist settlement organizations, who insist on their plans to divide the campus in time and space and seek to demolish the Al-Aqsa Mosque.” He added that What is happening inside the campus exposes the steps of normalization between Arab countries and Tel Aviv.

Hamas and Jihad

In view of the occupation forces’ attacks, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) blamed the occupation for “the repercussions of allowing settlers to storm and desecrate the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque.” The movement added that the continuation of the attack on the worshipers and the sanctity of time and place “will backfire on the occupation and its settlers.”

While the Islamic Jihad movement considered that the renewed attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque "expose the intention of the occupation to mislead to pass its terrorist plans," and added that "the serious violations and attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque are pushing towards a comprehensive confrontation."


parole

The occupation police had conditionally released more than 80 Palestinians whom they had arrested at dawn last Friday inside Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The occupation stipulated that they be deported from Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque for a period of 15 days, and the occupation police released 330 detainees yesterday evening, while 30 prisoners will remain in detention until they are presented to investigation officers from the Israeli police.

Clashes erupted between Palestinians and the occupation forces in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) denied the existence of any truce with the Israeli occupation, and renewed its call on the Palestinians to continue their march and retreat in Al-Aqsa Mosque.

As for the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, it called on the international community to force the occupation to engage in a real peace process.

girl arrest

And local media published a video showing the moment the occupation forces arrested a Palestinian girl yesterday evening, Saturday, during a sit-in in the city of Nazareth, inside the Green Line, in support of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

#watched|

The moment of arresting the Nasra activist Hana Daher and attacking her with electric shocks pic.twitter.com/0gkghfiFTV

— Al Jarmaq News (@aljarmaqnet) April 16, 2022

The girl appeared in the video arguing with the soldier for not following the legal procedures to arrest her, so he assaulted her with an electric taser that knocked her to the ground, while the rest of the soldiers tried to pin her down in order to arrest her amid screams from those around her.

Palestinian media reported that Nazareth witnessed clashes between the youths and the Israeli police on Saturday evening.

For days, tension has prevailed in the occupied city of Jerusalem and the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, in light of calls by settlers and Jewish temple groups to storm Al-Aqsa, coinciding with the Jewish Passover holiday.