Israeli occupation forces storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, fire teargas
Jerusalem (QNN) – Tensions were high in occupied Jerusalem on Friday afternoon when Israeli occupation police stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and fired tear gas at Palestinians after Friday prayers.
This came after an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire came into effect in the early hours of Friday after 11 days of a relentless Israeli aggression of the besieged Gaza Strip and thousands of rockets launched into Israeli settlements by the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip.
Witnesses inside the compound said that after Friday prayers many Palestinians stayed at the premises to celebrate the victory of the Palestinian resistance during the recent round of fighting with the Israeli occupation.
“They were singing and chanting when a contingent of the Israeli police [stationed] next to the compound came into the compound and started using crowd control measures that they use all the time, including stun grenades, smoke bombs and tear gas,” Imran Khan, a correspondent of Al Jazeera, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, said.
“They started firing in that crowd in an effort to try and disperse them.”
Thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank poured onto the streets to celebrate the ceasefire, waving flags and flashing the “V” sign for victory.
Israel’s bombardment of Gaza killed at least 243 Palestinians, including 66 children, and brought widespread devastation to the already impoverished territory. On the Israeli side, 12 people, including two children, were killed.
