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Israeli forces violently crack down on al-Aqsa solidarity protests in West Bank

Palestinian protestors clash with Israeli forces at the compound that houses al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied Old City of al-Quds on April 15, 2022. (Photo by Reuters)

Israeli regime forces violently cracked down on demonstrations held by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Friday in solidarity with worshippers assaulted inside the al-Aqsa Mosque, leaving at least 344 injured.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), a national humanitarian organization, said in a statement that its medics attended to 344 injured people following Israeli forces' attacks in several cities on Friday.

It added that the Israeli army also targeted PRCS personnel and hindered their work in providing medical aid to the wounded Palestinians.

Israeli forces fired live bullets at an ambulance and damaged its exterior in the northern West Bank town of Beita, located 13 kilometers (8.1 miles) southeast of Nablus, on Friday.

Journalist Wahaj Bani Mufleh was quoted as saying that dozens of residents in Beita held Friday prayers on their land that is at the risk of confiscation to construct illegal settlements in Jabal Sabih.

After the prayers, the occupying forces brutally assaulted local residents and tried to banish them from the area, Bani Mufleh said.

He added that the confrontations took place in Jabal Sabih and extended to the main entrance of the town, where Israeli forces have maintained a constant vigil.

The army used a barrage of tear gas canisters as well as live bullets to suppress the demonstrators, Bani Mufleh further noted.

The restive village witnessed violent confrontations on Wednesday, leading to the injury of several Palestinians.

One of them, Fawaz Dwaikat, succumbed to his wounds the following day. His death led to an escalation of tensions and fierce clashes that continued till Friday.

The media staff of two satellite television networks said they were also attacked by an Israeli settler while covering the Israeli aggression in Beita. Their equipment was damaged in the attack.

Journalist Khaled Badir was quoted as saying that one of the settlers tried to attack media personnel as they attempted to take shelter in a safe place, and threw cameras on the ground, damaging them.​

Moreover, confrontations broke out between young Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces in the towns of Beit Dajan, Qaryut, and Qasra outside of Nablus; at the northern entrance to Bethlehem; in the village of Kafr Qaddoum, east of Qalqilya; at the northern entrance to the city of al-Bireh; and at Bab al-Zawiya in the center of al-Khalil.

IJ: Israel must await fierce, intense battle with Palestinians

The Islamic Jihad resistance movement has warned Israel of strong and fierce retaliation in case its forces do not halt violent raids in the occupied al-Quds and immediately end acts of aggression on the al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the holy month of Ramadan.

“We have already declared that we are all aware of the deceit and deception of the [Israeli] enemy. We will not exercise self-restraint unless raids in al-Quds and across the West Bank stop,” Daoud Shahab, a spokesman for the resistance movement said.

“We have informed mediators that the enemy will soon have to expect a fierce battle if the existing aggression persists. We will spare no effort and no weapon to strike it, and will do whatever deemed necessary,” he hastened to add.

Shahab further asserted that the resistance groups will not submit or surrender to the occupying regime and also will not allow it to impose its diktats in the occupied territories.

“The Zionist aggression against the Palestinian nation, lands, and the sacred site has been going on for more than seventy years. The stronger the relations Israel forges with other countries, the more the regime will be emboldened to use terror and oppression,” he asserted.

“The status quo in the region has created a good opportunity for the Zionist regime to extend aggression and carry out its expansionist conspiracies in al-Quds and the West Bank. The enemy’s measures to impose its own policies in al-Quds and change the equation in its favor have intensified.”

Palestinian protestors clash with Israeli forces at the compound that houses al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied Old City of al-Quds on April 15, 2022. (Photo by Reuters)

He called the events of Friday morning “part of a conspiracy designed to exert aggressor Jews’ dominance over the al-Aqsa Mosque” and said the purpose of the gruesome attack was to “empty the mosque of worshipers and let Zionist extremists in”.

“But Palestinians thwarted the conspiracy through their steadfastness and heroism,” he declared.

IRGC: New intifada an absolute nightmare for Israel

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has strongly condemned the latest wave of violence and unchecked aggression against the holy al-Aqsa Mosque.

In a statement on Friday, the IRGC’s public relations division stressed that the aggressive moves of the Israeli regime come in the wake of retaliatory operations by young Palestinians, which demonstrate the high capabilities of Palestinian resistance fighters in the face of Zionist usurpers.

“The criminal acts in al-Aqsa Mosque show the Zionists’ helplessness and fear for a new intifada (uprising), further involvement of Palestinian youths and teenagers in the ongoing struggle, and an increase in the capabilities of resistance fighters,” it stated.

The IRGC also denounced the desecration of sacred Muslim sites, including the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, during the holy month of Ramadan, underscoring that such attempts are doomed to fail.

“These criminal acts will not sap the burring and heroic uprising of [Palestinian] fighters. On the contrary, it will expose Zionists to an absolute nightmare and more serious challenges,” the statement read.

The IRGC called on the international community to take note of the latest developments in the Palestinian territories, and the brutal crimes committed by the occupying Israeli regime.


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