Israeli forces attack worshippers, arrest several youths in Jerusalem

Israeli forces on Monday evening attacked worshippers performing the Isha and Taraweeh prayers near Bab al-Sahira in occupied East Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Governorate said forces fired stun grenades at the worshippers and arrested a number of young men.

In a related development, Israeli authorities threatened to close a restaurant in the Khan al-Zeit market in Jerusalem and prevented its owner from preparing and distributing hot meals to residents and passers-by in the Bab al-Amud area. The meals are usually provided by donors as a charitable initiative during the holy month of Ramadan.

Israeli authorities have continued to close Al-Aqsa Mosque and prevent worshippers from accessing it for the 17th consecutive day, citing security concerns linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

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For the first time since 1967, the occupation forces prevented worshippers from performing prayers and observing i’tikaf (spiritual retreat) in Al-Aqsa Mosque. Worshippers were absent from the last Friday of Ramadan, and the commemoration of Laylat al-Qadr was also prohibited within its sacred grounds.

The Jerusalem Governorate has warned of a dangerous escalation in incitement rhetoric led by what it described as extremist “Temple organisations” against Al-Aqsa Mosque, amid its continued closure.

It said the measures cannot be considered “temporary security procedures” as claimed by Israeli authorities, but rather form part of a political and ideological approach aimed at altering the existing religious, historical and legal status of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

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