Friday prayer struggles: Al-Aqsa amidst ongoing Gaza conflict
Israeli forces are again restricting access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the 5th Friday prayer of the war in Jerusalem. Only elderly Palestinians are allowed to enter the mosque. Israeli police intervened against journalists and civilians on live broadcasts
While the Israeli forces' air, sea, and land attacks on the Gaza Strip continued on its 35th day, the 5th Friday Prayer was held in the shadow of the clashes in Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israeli forces again imposed age restrictions on Al-Aqsa Mosque and did not allow men under the age of 65 and women under the age of 50 to enter.
Israeli police intervened with gas bombs against Palestinians who came to Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform Friday prayers this week as they did last week.
Palestinians, who were not allowed into Al-Aqsa for Friday prayers, pray around Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Hundreds of Palestinians stood in line at the mosque in the Ra's al-Amud neighborhood overlooking Al-Aqsa Mosque and on the pavements around the mosque.
Israeli forces intervened against Palestinian youth in the Wadi al-Jawz neighborhood near Al-Aqsa Mosque with tear gas, rubber, and live bullets as well as stinking water sprayed from Intervention Vehicle Against Social Incidents (TOMA).
The dirty water sprayed from the TOMA created a persistent bad odor in the streets around Al-Aqsa Mosque.
In Al-Aqsa Mosque, where 100 to 150 thousand people normally stand in line on Fridays, only about 5 thousand people were able to pray this week, as in the last 4 weeks since Oct. 7, due to Israel's obstruction.
WHAT HAPPENED
Hamas’ military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, announced that they launched a comprehensive attack against Israel called “Al-Aqsa Flood” on the morning of Oct. 7.
While thousands of rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel, armed groups entered the settlements in the region. The Israeli army also launched an attack on the Gaza Strip with dozens of warplanes. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that Israel killed 10, 569 people, including 4,324 children, 2,823 women, and 397 elderly people. It injured at least 32,000 people in its attacks on Gaza.
It was reported that 1,400 Israelis, including 324 soldiers, were killed and 5,132 Israelis were wounded in the attacks from Gaza.
The Israeli army hit Damascus and Aleppo airports. As the Middle East is once again turning into a bloodbath, a deadline has been set for nearly 2.5 million Palestinians to leave the blockaded Gaza.
In the occupied West Bank, 106 Palestinians were killed in attacks by Israeli forces and Jewish settlers. In Israel’s attacks on Gaza, 48 journalists were killed.
In the clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border since Oct. 8, 55 Hezbollah members and 4 civilians, one of whom was a journalist, were killed. Three Israeli soldiers and one Israeli civilian were killed in the attacks organized by Lebanon.
Most recently, Israel attacked the Jabalia Refugee Camp in Gaza, killing civilians.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he was breaking off all contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because of Israeli attacks on civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Source: Newsroom
