The Israeli Air Force and Palestinian militants set fire on the Gaza border in a new clash in Jerusalem’s most sensitive sanctuaries, exacerbating the same escalations as before the war between Israel and Gaza last year.
The violence caused by Thursday’s anxiety on the Gaza front between Israeli police and Palestinians in Jerusalem appears to be the most intense cross-border war since last year’s 11-day conflict, recurring them. It is deploying despite efforts to prevent it.
Rockets launched from Gaza this week shattered the tranquility of the months following the war.
Palestinian militants launched two rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel at the end of Wednesday and early Thursday, and Israeli fighters attacked Hamas-operated offshore militants’ targets.
Israeli forces said one rocket crashed in the frequently targeted town of Sderot in southern Israel, and another rocket broke down and landed in Gaza.
The launch rang air raid sirens in some parts of southern Israel, breaking the peace of the Passover holiday.
At the beginning of Thursday, Israeli planes launched air strikes in the center of the Gaza Strip, according to local media.
In an activist’s social media post, smoke was seen flying up in the air.
Israeli forces said the airstrikes targeted the entrance to a tunnel leading to a militant zone and an underground complex containing chemicals to build rockets.
The military later stated that the plane attacked another Hamas compound after an anti-aircraft missile was launched from Gaza.
He said the missile did not reach its target and no injuries or injuries were reported.
Recent Israeli-Palestinian tensions escalated after a series of deadly attacks on Israelis by Palestinians, which subsequently led to a full-day military arrest and assault on a burning West Bank city, leading to a conflict in Jerusalem. Spread to the newspaper.
This year, the holy month of Ramadan Muslims coincided with the Passover festival. The Passover is a time of increasing religious practice and many people visiting Jerusalem.
Israeli police said Thursday morning that dozens of masked protesters dug up the Al-Aqsa Mosque, closed doors and began throwing stones and firecrackers.
Police said they were trying to disperse Palestinians using a “riot dispersal tool” without providing details, and the army did not invade the mosque.
Palestinian officials in Waqf, who manage the site, said police used stun grenade to clean up the site.
He also said police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets at Palestinians trapped in the mosque.
Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not have the authority to discuss the case with the media.
The Palestine Red Crescent Company said there were casualties, but did not immediately show the numbers.
Similar clashes occurred throughout the week, but earlier this month a more violent clash occurred in the area, injuring more than 150 Palestinians and three police officers.
Palestinians accused Israeli police of using excessive force in the sanctuary, and Palestinian social media was flooded with videos showing Israeli troops beating unarmed Palestinians, including women.
Police said they had released a video showing Palestinians encouraging violence and a young Palestinian man throwing stones and firecrackers at security forces.
Police say Palestinians are blaspheming their sacred places and endangering others.
The scenes of repeated rocket attacks and violence in Jerusalem created a scene similar to what caused the war last year.
Last year, violence spread to a mixed Jewish and Arab town that was not in the current wave of anxiety.
On Wednesday, hundreds of Israelis waved the flag of Ultranationalists to march into Palestinian-controlled areas around the Old City of Jerusalem, demonstrating Israeli control over the conflict cities that the Palestinians regarded as provocation. rice field.
Last year, during a similar march, a war broke out when Gaza militants declared themselves guardians of Jerusalem and launched rockets in the sanctuary.
This year, Israeli police blocked the main road leading to the Damascus Gate in the old town and the center of the Islamic district.
After several clashes with police, marchers gathered near the barricade, waving flags and chanting slogans.
Israeli nationalists organize such marches to claim sovereignty in East Jerusalem. Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza in 1967 and annexed it into an internationally unrecognized movement.
Palestinians want independent nations in three regions and consider East Jerusalem as the capital.
The hilltop temple in the old town is the emotional ground zero of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is the center of the previous cycle of violence.
Known by Muslims as Masjidal-Aqsa, it is the third most sacred place in Islam.
It is also the most sacred place in Judaism and is worshiped by the Jews as a mountain of temples with Bible shrines.
Israel says it maintains the status quo decades ago in areas that prevent Jews from praying.
However, this year, Jewish visits increased during the Passover holidays, and in some cases Jews prayed on the premises.
Palestinians see police detention visits as a provocation and possible precursor to Israel’s control over or beginning to divide the place.
For Palestinians, the complex of mosques run by Islamic clergy is a rare place they have some control over in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian radical group in Gaza – the dominant Hamas and the smaller so-called Islamic Jihad – has established itself as a defender of the sanctuary of Jerusalem.
On Wednesday, Hamas said Israel would “take full responsibility for the impact” if the marchers were allowed to “approach our sanctuary.”
Tensions have increased in recent weeks after a series of deadly attacks within Israel, Israeli military operations on the west bank of the occupied Jordan River, and repeated clashes between Israelis and Palestinians at the Al-Axa complex. I am.
Last May, Palestinian militants from Gaza launched a rocket in Jerusalem. A much larger group of thousands of Israelis marched on the flag to the Old Town after weeks of protests and clashes in and around Al-Aqsa.
These events led to an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas, killing more than 250 Palestinians and 14 Israelis and causing havoc in Gaza.
Source: Belfasttelegraph
