Riots along the border of the Gaza Strip have been planned for Friday afternoon in response to increased visits by Jewish pilgrims to the Temple Mount over the Sukkot holiday, the group that organizes the riots announced on Thursday.
After weeks of violence along the border, the riots were halted last week, reportedly after understandings were reached between Israel, Gaza, and Qatar to reopen the Erez crossing to Palestinian workers and to consider an increase in entry permits for workers. The reported agreement included a commitment to consider an increase in the Qatari grant provided to Gaza as well.
“The revolutionary youth invite you to participate tomorrow, Friday, immediately after the afternoon prayer, in the confrontations on the Malka border, east of Gaza City, to fight the occupiers, shake their fortresses, and ignite the fires,” wrote the group which organizes the riots.
Palestinian leaders called for mass attendance at Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque as well in response to the increase in Jewish visits.
Over 4,200 Jews have visited the Temple Mount during Sukkot
Over 4,200 Jewish pilgrims have visited the Temple Mount during the intermediate days of Sukkot, with over 800 visiting on Thursday morning alone.
The last visits of the holiday will take place on Thursday afternoon from 1:30-2:30 p.m. The Temple Mount is closed to Jewish visitors on Fridays and Saturdays and will next be open on Sunday morning at 7 a.m.
Former grand mufti of Jerusalem, Ekrima Sabri, called for “impressive crowds” to attend Friday prayers at al-Aqsa, warning of “Judaization plans” at the site.
Najeh Bakirat, deputy director-general of the Wakf in Jerusalem, claimed that “The occupation has begun to work in a real way to change the reality of the city demographically and geographically, and has begun to drive the nails to change the reality in the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque. If the Palestinians do not first address the seriousness of this crime, then the occupation’s progress toward demolishing al-Aqsa will only be a matter of time.”
Bakirat also called for Muslims across the region to hold demonstrations in support of al-Aqsa.
The Hamas terrorist movement also called on Palestinians to gather on Friday at the mosque “in defense of it, and to affirm its Islam, in the face of the occupation and the herds of settlers, who are tampering with its sanctity, and who are seeking to divide and demolish it to build their alleged temple.”
“The debauchery that prevailed during the Jewish holidays, and the attempts of the Zionist occupation to control Al-Aqsa Mosque will not succeed, and our people and their resistance will remain a protective fence for our sanctuary and our extremities, whatever the cost,” said Hamas.
Palestinian leaders and media have expressed outrage at Sukkot celebrations and efforts to secure those celebrations by Israeli forces in Jerusalem in recent days.
Various videos of Jewish worshippers carrying the Four Species in the Old City of Jerusalem have been repeatedly shared on Palestinian media with captions calling prayers “Talmudic rituals” and accusing worshippers singing and dancing in the Old City of conducting “provocations.”
Checkpoints and barriers have also been set up in multiple locations throughout the Old City, with Palestinian media reporting that activists and young Palestinians were prevented from entering or nearing the Temple Mount in the morning and afternoon when Jewish visits were conducted.
Hamas spokesperson for Jerusalem, Muhammad Hamadeh, warned in an interview with Palestinian media on Monday that “The Zionist enemy’s aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque will not pass normally, and Palestinian anger will have a say.”
“The occupation is wrong if it thinks that its aggression against al-Aqsa Mosque and the women will go unpunished.”
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