Viral videos from inside Islam’s third holiest site show women and children screaming for help as Israeli troops carry out merciless attack.
Smoke rises amid buildings during Israeli airstrikes in Gaza early on Wednesday.
(Reuters)
Israeli planes have struck Gaza in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave after Israeli police raided the Al Aqsa Mosque compound overnight.
Hamas Radio reported that the Israeli strikes early on Wednesday hit several targets within Gaza including a refugee camp.
There were no immediate reports on casualties.
The air strikes come after Israeli troops stormed Islam’s third holiest site in occupied East Jerusalem, using gas bombs and sound grenades while Palestinians pray on the second week of Ramadan.
Witnesses and Palestinian Red Crescent also reported that Israeli troops have beaten up worshipers, leaving many wounded, raising fears of wider tensions.
Viral videos from inside Islam’s third holiest site showed women and children screaming for help as Israeli troops carry out the attack. Palestinian Red Crescent said it has deployed its teams to treat the wounded.
“I was sitting on a chair reciting [Quran],” an elderly woman told the Reuters news agency outside the mosque, struggling to catch her breath. “They hurled stun grenades, one of them hit my chest,” she said as she began to cry.
The worshipers chanted anti-Israel slogans as they were forced to leave the mosque. Israeli soldiers also smashed windows of the southern part of the mosque, witnesses said.
Israeli police said in a statement they arrested dozens of Palestinians who were practicing itikaf, a religious practice in which Muslims stay in the mosque overnight to pray and recite Holy Quran.
The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that dozens of worshipers, who spent all night to pray, were wounded when the Israeli police raided the mosque.
The Israeli violence in occupied East Jerusalem triggered a wave protests and condemnations from Palestinians.
“We warn the occupation against crossing red lines at holy sites, which will lead to a big explosion,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
READ MORE:
Israeli troops kill Palestinian man at Al Aqsa Mosque entrance
READ MORE: Israel announces restrictions on Palestinian entry to Al Aqsa in Ramadan
In video: Israeli troops storm Al Aqsa Mosque, severely beating innocent Palestinian worshipers, wounding dozens and drawing widespread condemnations
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Back in besieged Gaza, Hamas called for large protests and people started gathering in the streets, with calls to head for the heavily guarded Gaza-Israel fence for more demonstrations.
The Israeli military said nine rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel, of which at least four were intercepted and four landed in open areas.
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry immediately condemned Israel’s “flagrant” storming of Al Aqsa Mosque while Egypt called for immediate halt to Israel’s “blatant assault” on Palestinian worshippers.
Saudi Arabia condemned Israeli police action, saying it undermines peace efforts.
High tensions
Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Violence has surged over the last year, as the Israeli military has carried out near-nightly raids on Palestinian cities, towns and villages.
At least 88 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops this year, according to an Associated Press tally. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have left 15 people dead in the same period.
Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It vacated from Gaza in 2005 and has since imposed a harsh blockade from land, air and sea on the tiny Palestinian enclave.
Over 700,000 illegal Israeli settlers now live in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.
READ MORE:
Israeli troops kill four Palestinians in Jenin raid: West Bank officials
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
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