‘Sadistic assault’: Israeli settlers storm al-Aqsa Mosque as regime escalates West Bank raids
Illegal Israeli settlers have violated the al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound in occupied East al-Quds under heavy police protection as the regime forces have escalated their relentless assault on the occupied West Bank.
On Tuesday, witnesses reported that the settlers, led by extremist Rabbi Shimshon Alboim, who is a vocal supporter for “demolition” of the mosque — Muslim’s third-holiest site — to build, what he calls, a temple, stormed the site’s courtyards in a manner, described by locals, as highly provocative.
Israeli forces imposed severe restrictions on Palestinian worshippers during the attack, with many reporting confiscation of identity cards at the mosque’s gates and limited access to the holy site.
The al-Quds Islamic Waqf (Endowment) organization, which oversees the mosque, confirmed that extremist groups known as the so-called “Temple Groups” were intensifying efforts to gain unrestricted access to the site.
A petition urging controversial Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to facilitate such access has been launched, with a targeted date of May 26, the body noted.
The date marks the 1967 Western-backed Israeli occupation of East al-Quds, which is marked by Israeli extremists through provocative marches in West Bank neighborhoods.
In the West Bank, Israeli troops continued their incessant raids on various towns, including Tulkarm and the Nour Shams refugee camps, which have been under siege by Tel Aviv for over 100 days.
The ongoing campaign of military aggression has wreaked havoc on civilian infrastructures, and numerous reports have highlighted the destruction of homes, forced evacuations, and a growing humanitarian crisis.
Israel kills pregnant woman
The latest wave of violence has claimed the lives of at least 13 Palestinians, including a child and two women, one of whom was eight months pregnant.
Over 4,200 families, approximately 25,000 people, have also been displaced.
Several detentions and home demolitions have occurred throughout the past 48 hours. Palestinian civil defense officer Ahed Fathallah al-Hamshari and Wissam Issam Odeh were among those detained during the latest raids.
Meanwhile, the Tulkarm Governor, Abdullah Kamil condemned the Israeli forces for “true sadism,” denouncing them for seeking to forcibly displace Palestinians under false “security” pretexts.
In a related development, 106 demolition orders have been issued for homes across Tulkarm and the Nour Shams camps.
As of now, 15 buildings have already been demolished in Nour Shams’ Manshiyya neighborhood, with an additional 19 buildings marked for demolition in the coming days.
Israeli authorities have given residents a mere two hours to evacuate their homes before the bulldozers arrive.
Despite prior coordination, Red Crescent teams and other humanitarian groups, meanwhile, face violent obstruction by Israeli forces as they attempt to assist displaced civilians.
Deployment of live ammunition and sound grenades have been reported as the forces block their efforts to recover belongings.
