Iran raps violent attack on al-Aqsa Mosque worshipers, inhumane nature of Israel

“The brutal attack by the usurping Zionist regime’s military on Palestinian pilgrims and worshipers inside al-Aqsa Mosque has once again laid bare the criminal and inhumane nature of the regime before the eyes of the world,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani tweeted on Wednesday.

“This crime is strongly condemned, and deserves the immediate reaction of the Muslim world, freedom-loving people around the world as well as responsible international bodies,” he added.

Dozens of heavily armed Israeli forces stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Tuesday night before firing tear gas and stun grenades into the Qibli prayer hall, where hundreds of men, women, elderly people and children were staying overnight to pray. Some eyewitnesses said rubber-coated steel bullets were also fired.

Israeli officers then beat worshipers with batons and riot guns, wounding many, before arresting them.

Videos from inside the mosque showed Israeli officers repeatedly hitting people with batons while they appeared to lie on the floor. In the meantime,

the cries for help from women and children could be heard in the background.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said it received multiple reports of injuries at al-Aqsa Mosque but has not been able to determine the number of casualties as Israeli forces continue to block medics from reaching the wounded.

Local media outlets said dozens were wounded and the injuries have included bruises, fractures and breathlessness from inhaling tear gas.

One of the female worshipers who was at the scene told local media that women were eventually let out but the men were harshly beaten and arrested.

“Every single one of them was harshly beaten. Every single man,” she said.

The Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs estimates that at least 400 people have been arrested.

After the raid, local mosques around al-Quds called on Palestinians through speakerphones to stage a mass rally in the occupied city and support those assaulted in the mosque.

Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets across the occupied West Bank to condemn the assault and confront Israeli troops at checkpoints and military posts.

Elsewhere in the besieged Gaza Strip, Palestinian resistance fighters launched a volley of rockets toward the occupied territories.

At least one rocket landed inside the territories and caused damage to a food factory. No casualties were recorded, according to Israeli media outlets.
Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Hamas resistance movement, said in a statement, “What is happening in al-Aqsa Mosque is an unprecedented crime.

Everyone must bear their responsibility, Palestinians and Muslims alike.”

He urged Palestinians in the West Bank and the 1948 Israeli-occupied territories to march to al-Aqsa Mosque and “protect it.”

Ziyad Nakhalah, the leader of the Islamic Jihad movement, echoed a similar message.

“The events at al-Aqsa Mosque are a threat to our sacred places of worship and the Palestinian people must be prepared for the imminent decisive confrontation [with Israel],” he said in a statement.

The Fatah movement said what happened was “dangerous” and warned that the occupying

Israeli regime “will pay the price.”

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the presidential spokesperson of the Palestinian Authority, said Israeli forces “crossed the red lines.”

“What the occupying regime is doing right now at holy sites such as in al-Aqsa, and the attacking of worshipers is an example of the relentless war against Palestinian people and Arab nations, which will ignite fires across the region,” Abu Rudeineh said.

Moreover, several Arab countries have condemned the attack against Muslim worshipers and said they are following up the developments with concern.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the kingdom condemns the incursion and expresses its categorical rejection of such practices, which undermine peace and are contrary to international principles and values that call for respect of religious sanctities.

It reiterated Riyadh’s position in supporting all efforts aimed at ending the Israeli occupation and reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry also said in a statement that such hateful and reprehensible scenes and repeated Israeli violations of the sanctity of the holy places fuel feelings of anger among all Palestinians and Muslim nations.

Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates also strongly condemned the ferocious assault and called on Israel to stop such acts against worshipers, which it said violate international principles.

It held the Israeli regime fully responsible for any potential consequences.