AL-QUDS (Dispatches) – More than 20 Palestinians were wounded on Sunday in several incidents in and around Al-Quds’ flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, two days after major violence at the site.
The latest clashes take the number of wounded since Friday to more than 170, at a tense time when the Jewish Passover festival coincides with Ramadan. They also follow deadly violence in the occupied territories in late March and early this month that has killed 36 people.
Early on Sunday morning, hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators inside the mosque compound started gathering piles of stones, shortly before the arrival of Zionist visitors, police said.
The Zionist settlers also entered the compound on Sunday morning amid a heavy military deployment of Zionist troops.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said its medics treated at least 17 injuries following the Zionist raid on the holy site, of whom three were admitted to hospital.
The official Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that the attacking Zionist troops chased the worshipers and fired stun grenades and teargas randomly to empty the holy site of its Muslim worshipers in order to allow the entry of settlers wishing to celebrate Passover inside the courtyards of the al-Aqsa Mosque.
At least three arrests were reported among the Palestinian worshipers.
In a statement, the Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement warned Israel against the repercussions of its atrocities in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
“Al-Aqsa Mosque is a red line and the occupying Israeli regime is responsible for assaults on worshipers and allowing occupiers to desecrate the site. We hold Israel responsible for attacks against worshipers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque and the inevitable consequences,” Hamas also said in a statement.
The statement noted that the Tel Aviv regime’s decision to give Israeli settlers a free hand to attack the al-Aqsa Mosque and desecrate its shrines will unavoidably hurt the feelings of all Palestinians, Arabs as well as Muslims, and will provoke their wrath.
“The continuation of attacks on Muslim worshipers and desecration of Al-Quds will have adverse effects for both the occupying regime and settlers. Our people will stand firm against the occupier and its crimes. Their finger will remain on the trigger to defend Al-Quds and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They will thwart the sinister plans of the occupiers at any cost,” Hamas said.
Moreover, a member of Hamas political bureau warned Zionist regime authorities against raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and letting settlers desecrate the site.
“Hamas has informed the mediators that any fatalities inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque will issue a declaration of war, and that a new Operation Al-Quds Sword will be much more intense and severe than the previous one,” Haroun Nasser al-Din said.
As international outcry has gained momentum against Tel Aviv regime’s violations against Palestinians across the occupied territories, Syria and Morocco have strongly condemned the Zionist regime’s recent large-scale attacks on Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound.