yesterday in the village of Qalandia, which is located next to Israel’s controversial separation barrier, between the West Bank town of Ramallah and East Jerusalem. On July 26 Israeli authorities demolished a dozen Palestinian homes in Qalandia, according to Palestinian sources. Witnesses added that shortly after midnight, a convoy of dozens of military vehicles and Israeli bulldozers stormed the area, before demolishing 11 houses. Israeli authorities did not respond to requests for information on the demolitions, but such cases are usually said to be because the owners did not have building permits.
Israeli occupation forces stormed at dawn yesterday the village of Kafr Ein near Ramallah and al-Bireh.
At least six Israeli military vehicles stormed the village and “wandered provocatively” its quarters and streets, where Israeli occupation soldiers checked the identities of some citizens, Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) quoted a Palestinian security source as saying.
No arrests were reported.
A number of settlers stormed under the protection of the occupation forces this morning the village of Bathan north-east of Nablus.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Minister of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, Yousef Adeis, yesterday condemned the Israeli occupation authorities’ decision to deport a number Al-Aqsa Mosque’s Guards and interfere with their work on a daily basis.
He urged in a press release the Arab and Islamic world to take a serious action to end the abuses practice against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, its Guards and Al-Quds City, adding that the Israeli occupation forces target them through the multiplication of arrests and deportations.
The IOA through different temple organisations have stepped up Al Aqsa’s storming while increasing internal and external media campaigns to intensify the raids, perform Talmudic rituals and prayers, he added.
Meanwhile, more than 200 Palestinians from the besieged Gaza Strip travelled to occupied East Jerusalem to attend Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to Palestinian liaison officials.
The officials told Ma’an that 250 Palestinian worshippers, all above the age of 50, travelled to Jerusalem via the Erez crossing between the besieged enclave and Israel to attend prayers, before immediately returning to the Gaza Strip.
The number of Palestinians permitted to worship at Al-Aqsa was reduced by Israel last week, as Israeli authorities have typically permitted 300 elderly Palestinians from the small Palestinian territory to travel to Al-Aqsa every Friday, according to Ma’an News Agency.