Palestine: Israeli police force Palestinians who were praying out of Qibla Mosque

By Gulsen Topcu

JERUSALEM (AA): Israeli police again raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem early Sunday, according to witnesses.

Israeli police cut the electricity and forced Palestinians out of the Qibla Masjid who were performing prayers.

Palestinians attempted to prevent police by closing the doors to the mosque.

In addition, group of 134 Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Mughrabi Gate on Sunday, with heavy security provided by the Israeli occupation police.

The invasion took place during the month of Ramadan.

The Israeli troops forcibly removed the Muslim worshippers in the mosque.

According to imemc.org, Israeli settler organizations announced a 25,000 Shekels prize to any settler who manages to enter Al-Aqsa and successfully performs a Paschal lamb sacrifice in the courtyards of the holy site and a 2500 Shekel to each member who is arrested by the Israeli police while carrying the animal sacrifice in Al-Aqsa.

Israeli forces and Jewish settlers frequently carry out raids at Al-Aqsa Mosque to provoke Palestinians.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world’s third-holiest site. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.

Additional report by imemc.org

[Photo: Al-Qibli Mosque, part of Al-Aqsa Mosque, in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0/Creative Commons]

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