Palestinian media denounce that the Police do not allow the faithful to enter the mosque
6 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Israeli Army has bombarded several military targets located in the Gaza Strip, in response to rockets launched hours earlier from Palestinian territory, amid tensions in Jerusalem over the Israel Police assault on the Al Aqsa mosque.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have reported through their Twitter profile that their offensive has targeted places where the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) manufactures and stores weapons, as well as “a military complex used to train terrorist agents”.
“IDF tanks have also attacked military posts along the security fence,” Israel said in another message.
Late on Wednesday night, the Israeli Army reported the launch of two rockets into its territory from the Gaza Strip, detailing that one fell inside the Strip itself and the other hit an area near the border fence.
Already on Thursday morning, Israel activated air alerts in the south of the country, and hours later Israeli media have reported four more rockets launched from Gaza.
According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the new launches of the Israeli Army this morning have hit a refugee camp in Gaza, with no personal injuries reported. They have also claimed that they have launched sound bombs at the coastal town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
A NEW DAY OF TENSIONS BEGINS IN JERUSALEM
The increase in tension corresponds to the clashes that have been taking place since Tuesday night at the Al Aqsa mosque, where this morning hundreds of Muslims have gathered for the first prayer of the day for Islam, Fajr.
According to the Palestinian media ‘Feleesten’, the Israel Police have prohibited young men from entering the mosque, forcing hundreds of people to pray in the street, in front of the religious building.
THE ESPLANADE OF THE MOSQUES, A HOT SPOT ON THESE DATES
These days the Muslim religious festivals are mixed with Ramadan; Christians, with Holy Week, and Jews, who this Thursday celebrate the first day of Jewish Passover.
The Esplanade of the Mosques is the religious heart of East Jerusalem and rests on one of its sides on the Wailing Wall, the last vestige of the Jewish Solomon’s Temple. The ‘status quo’ in the area prevents Jews from praying in the place and only authorizes them to visit the place at predetermined times and to travel through a fixed route, accompanied by policemen who must ensure that the faithful do not pray or that they bring in Israeli flags or religious objects.
Israel took control of the Temple Mount and the rest of the Old City of Jerusalem during the Six Day War (1967). However, it allowed Jordan to continue to maintain religious authority at the site and, under the peace agreement, recognized Jordan’s “special role” over “Muslim holy places in Jerusalem.”
