Hundreds of Palestinians were arrested by Israeli police after a violent raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday morning. The raid sparked international condemnation and fears of a wider escalation of the conflict.
According to witnesses and Palestinian officials, Israeli forces stormed the compound, which is the third-holiest site in Islam and also revered by Jews, and fired stun grenades and rubber bullets at worshippers who had gathered for dawn prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. Some of the worshippers had barricaded themselves inside the mosque with firecrackers and stones, chanting slogans against the Israeli occupation.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said at least 50 people were injured in the raid, some of them seriously. The Israeli police said one officer was wounded in the leg by a firework. The police said they entered the compound after “masked agitators” locked themselves inside the mosque and threw objects at them.
The police said they arrested more than 350 people who had “violently barricaded” themselves inside the mosque or participated in riots outside. They said they also seized weapons, including knives, clubs and metal rods.
The raid drew sharp criticism from Palestinian leaders, Arab countries, Muslim organizations and human rights groups, who accused Israel of violating the sanctity of the holy site and the rights of the worshippers. They also warned that such actions could ignite a wider conflict in the region.
The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the raid as “an egregious assault on the basic right of Palestinians to worship freely in their holy sites”. He called on the international community to intervene and protect the Palestinians from Israeli aggression.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry, which oversees Muslim affairs at the compound under a custodial agreement with Israel, denounced the raid as a “blatant violation” of international law and Israel’s obligations. It demanded that Israel stop its “provocative practices” and respect the status quo of the holy site.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry also condemned the raid and called for an immediate halt to Israel’s “blatant assault on worshippers”. It urged Israel to respect its legal and historical responsibilities towards the holy places and to refrain from any actions that could inflame tensions.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed its “strong rejection and condemnation” of the raid and called on Israel to respect the freedom of worship and the rights of Palestinians. It also called on the UN Security Council to take urgent measures to end Israel’s violations and protect.