Middle East Conflict
Clashes on Temple Mount – rockets from Gaza
Smoke billows after an airstrike in the western Gaza Strip (stock image). photo
© Fatima Shbair/AP/dpa
The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is considered a powder keg. Now the violence is igniting again. And that at a time when a particularly large number of believers are expected in the city.
For the second night in a row, clashes broke out between Israeli security forces and Palestinians on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Groups of young Palestinians threw firecrackers and stones at police officers and tried to barricade themselves in the al-Aqsa mosque late Wednesday evening, a police spokeswoman said in the morning. The security forces then intervened. According to Palestinian media reports, the police used batons, tear gas and rubber bullets to evict the worshipers from the mosque. According to the Palestinian rescue service Red Crescent, several Palestinians were injured.
A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned “the continuation of brutal Israeli attacks on believers”. The incidents jeopardized efforts to bring calm and stability to the region.
According to media reports, there were confrontations with Israeli security forces in several Arab cities in Israel and in the West Bank during the night as a reaction to the events in Jerusalem.
Rocket fire from Gaza again
Palestinian militants fired several rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said warning sirens could be heard in the border area early in the morning. Seven rockets have therefore exploded in the air. According to the information, five of them were aimed at Israeli territory, two of them at the Mediterranean Sea. The night before, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed on the Israeli side. Nobody got hurt. As a rule, after such a shelling, the Israeli military responds with a counterattack.
According to Israeli information, a rocket was also fired from Lebanon at northern Israel. The missile was intercepted in mid-air by the Israeli missile defense system, the military said. There were initially no reports of damage or injuries. Sirens could be heard in several places in the border area. It was unclear which group was behind the attack.
Israel and Lebanon are officially at war. There is always tension at the border. In particular, the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, which is closely allied with Iran, sees Israel as an archenemy.
Passover, Ramadan and Easter at the same time
Before the start of the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, around two weeks ago, there were fears that the already tense security situation in the country would deteriorate. A particularly large number of Muslims are currently coming to the Temple Mount to pray there during the month of fasting. The week-long Jewish Passover festival also began on Wednesday. One of the customs is a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In addition, several celebrations over Easter in the old town are imminent.
Violent confrontations have repeatedly occurred in the area around the Al-Aqsa Mosque in recent years. In 2021, the situation escalated into an 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas.