The Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas has called on Palestinians to rally on Friday to break an Israeli siege on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.
“We urge our people to urgently participate in defending Al-Aqsa Mosque against the Israeli aggression,“ the Palestinian group said in a statement on Thursday.
The statement called on Palestinian residents of Jerusalem “to commit to only performing prayers in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.“
“Let the first Friday of Ramadan be a day of escalation in all arenas in support of Gaza, Al-Quds, and Al-Aqsa, and in solidarity with the steadfastness of our people and their resistance against the aggression,” Hamas continued.
The Palestinian movement urged Arab and Islamic nations to “make this blessed Friday, and all days and Fridays of this sacred month, a field and a movement of widespread and continuous escalation, in the squares and arenas”.
It also called on “the free people of the world and those with living consciences who support our just cause everywhere”.
‘Dangerous Precedent’ – Israel Erects Barbed Wire near Al-Aqsa Mosque
Iron Barriers
Israeli authorities installed on Thursday iron barriers at three gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.
A statement by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry termed the Israeli move as “dangerous” and “unacceptable.”
“Israel has no sovereignty over occupied East Jerusalem and does not have the right to impose any restrictions on the entry of worshipers into Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the ministry said.
It called on the international community “to shoulder its responsibility towards halting Israel’s ongoing violations of international law.”
Israel has restricted access of Palestinian worshippers into the mosque amid growing tensions across the occupied West Bank, in parallel with Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Gaza.
Ahead of Ramadan – Israel Deploys Additional Forces around Al-Aqsa Mosque (VIDEOS)
Gaza Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 31,341 Palestinians have been killed, and 73,134 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
‘Dangerous’ Disruption – Israel to Restrict Worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Ramadan
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’
(PC, Anadolu)
