Israeli police forces on Friday afternoon clashed with Palestinian young men in the Aqsa Mosque’s courtyards. several Palestinian young men threw stones at police forces during their presence at al-Maghariba Gate in protest at the desecration of the Mosque by fanatic Jewish settlers last week. Following the events, the Israeli police erected iron barriers at all entrances leading to the Aqsa Mosque and prevented Muslim worshipers from going in.
The police also arrested 36 young men after they left the Mosque, and the Israeli occupied authorities for the second week in a row prevented Palestinians from traveling from the Gaza Strip to Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East AL-Quds (Jerusalem) for Friday worship due to the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Sources at the Palestinian military liaison said that the ban on travel out of the besieged enclave was implemented for some 200 Palestinians above the age of 60 that are ordinarily permitted to cross through the Erez crossing to pray at the holy site.
Israel’s prevention of the weekly Aqsa visit comes amid a myriad of severe restrictions imposed on Palestinians during the Jewish holiday, which will come to a close Saturday evening.
Al-Aqsa itself has been the site of daily scuffles throughout the week-long holiday, as far-right Israelis calling for the destruction of the compound’s mosque have toured the holy site, a number of whom were evacuated by Israeli police after violating visitation rules.
Some 70 Palestinians meanwhile were banned from Aqsa since the start of the month.
In other areas of the occupied Palestinian territory, armed Israeli forces have escorted extremist Israeli settlers to holy sites inside of Palestinian villages and cities, while Palestinians living in Al-Khalil (Hebron) were effectively put on lockdown as thousands of right-wingers rallied in the city.
ABNA