Islamic authorities say more than 1,100 Israelis stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque complex during the provocative annual parade.
Thousands of Israelis joined a march through occupied East Jerusalem, with some attacking Palestinians and shouting racist slogans, as part of an annual demonstration marking Israel’s occupation of the city.
Images shared by local journalists on Wednesday showed young people and teenagers shouting “Death to the Arabs” and “May your village burn” in the so-called “Flag March” on Wednesday.
The parade came amid rising tensions as Israel continues its war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,500 people, most of them women and children, according to Palestinian authorities.
Protesters danced and waved Israeli flags throughout the city.
The Jerusalem Waqf, the Islamic authority that oversees the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, said more than 1,100 Israelis stormed the site, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as the Temple Mount. .
The AFP news agency published photos of Israeli protesters attacking a Palestinian journalist in the Old City. Several Israeli media outlets reported that Haaretz reporter Nir Hasson was also attacked.
Reporting from Jordan’s capital Amman, Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan said this year’s march appears to be more violent than in previous years.
“Almost as soon as the ultranationalist people arrived in occupied East Jerusalem, they began attacking the Palestinians. Children attacked older Palestinians – we saw pictures of that,” Khan said.
“They were attacking stores; they were rushing to the stores. The Israeli police simply lost control. In fact, what they did was ask the Palestinians to simply close their stores because they could not control these people.”
According to Israeli media reports, Israel sent 3,000 police officers to the march and urged protesters to “avoid any physical or verbal violence.”
AFP footage showed protesters holding signs rebuking the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations’ top court, which ordered Israel to halt its attack on Rafah.
“The ICJ is corrupt and works with Hamas,” read one sign.
The far-right Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, participated in the march and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “be strong” in an implicit criticism of a proposed truce agreement to fight the war in Gaza.
“The Damascus Gate is ours. The Temple Mount is ours. And God willing, complete victory is ours,” Ben-Gvir said, according to the Times of Israel, referring to the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex – the third holiest site in Islam.
Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 war and later annexed it in 1980, in a move not recognized by the international community.
Al-Haram al-Sharif remained under the management of the Jordanian-appointed Waqf and only Muslims are allowed to pray in the complex.
However, Israeli security forces often allow Israelis to invade the site. In recent years, Israeli forces have also attacked worshipers inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The second Intifada, the Palestinian uprising that saw years of protests and violent attacks, began in 2000 after Israeli politician Ariel Sharon paid a visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Hamas also cited Israeli violations in Al-Aqsa as one of the main reasons for the “Floods of Al-Aqsa” attack against Israel on October 7, when Hamas fighters led an attack that killed at least 1,139 people, most of them civilians. , and seized about 250 others as captives.
On Wednesday, Hamas condemned the Israeli parade in Jerusalem, calling it “blatant aggression” against Arabs and Muslims.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said the parade “reaffirms that Jerusalem is the center of the conflict.”
“Our people will not rest until the occupation ends and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” he said in a statement.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
