Israeli forces brutally attacked dozens of Palestinian worshippers inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday evening, forcibly evicting them from the place where they were peacefully observing the holy month of Ramadan. Morocco strongly condemns this aggression, which only complicates and aggravates the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Morocco strongly condemns the incursion by Israeli forces into the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the aggression and terror against worshippers in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry said Wednesday in a statement received by APA.
The Kingdom, whose King Mohammed VI chairs the Al-Quds Committee, stressed the need to respect the legal, religious and historical status of Al-Quds and the holy sites and to avoid all practices and violations that are likely to destroy any chance for peace in the region.
Morocco reiterates its rejection of such practices, which only complicate and exacerbate the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and undermine efforts to reduce tensions and restore confidence.
On Tuesday night, dozens of heavily armed officers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque, using sound grenades and firing tear gas into the al-Qibli prayer hall – the silver-domed mosque – where hundreds of men, women, elderly and children were spending the night praying. Some eyewitnesses said rubber-coated steel bullets were also fired.
Israeli officers then beat worshippers with batons and riot guns, causing many injuries, before arresting them.
Video footage from inside the mosque shows Israeli officers repeatedly beating people who appear to be lying on the ground with batons. Meanwhile, cries for help from women and children can be heard in the background.
On Wednesday, Israeli police announced that they had arrested 350 Palestinians who were holding a spiritual retreat (itikef) inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.
In a statement, Israeli police said they had arrested more than 350 people who had “barricaded themselves” inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, including “masked agitators who brought fireworks, sticks and stones into the mosque.”
The Palestine Liberation Organisation’s Prisoners’ Affairs Committee said in a statement that Israeli police were releasing the detainees on condition that they stay away from Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City of Jerusalem for one week. This period can be extended, according to the same source.
HA/lb/abj/APA