Al-Quds flare-up: Hundreds injured as Israeli forces attack Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Tensions are simmering in Jerusalem al-Quds. Hundreds of Palestinian have been wounded in the latest bout of violence as Israeli security forces opened fire in a fresh assault on worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday.

“There are hundreds of people injured from the clashes” and about 50 of them were hospitalized,” the Palestinian Red Crescent said in a brief statement to journalists.

Israeli soldiers in riot gear fired rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas at the Palestinian protesters, who in turned responded by throwing objects at them.

Based on some media reports, a number of wounded Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli forces outside the Lions’ Gate as they attempted to flee the crackdown.

The attack is an escalation of weeks of violence against Palestinians in Jerusalem al-Quds that has reverberated across the region.

The al-Aqsa Mosque and Bab al-Amoud (Damascus) Gate in Jerusalem al-Quds’ Old City as well as the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood have witnessed a spike in Israeli atrocities in recent weeks.

At least 17 people, including one Palestinian paramedic, were injured during peaceful demonstrations across the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds on Sunday evening, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported.

Outside the Old City, at least 90 Palestinians were wounded a day earlier when Israeli police attacked protesters. Another 200 Palestinians sustained injuries on Friday when Israeli forces stormed al-Aqsa Mosque.

The latest raids against Palestinians come as Israel is set to hold an incendiary march on Monday to mark what the regime calls Jerusalem Day – the day East Jerusalem al-Quds was occupied in 1967 and later illegally annexed by the Israeli regime.

The march, which usually brings together thousands of extremist Israeli settlers chanting anti-Palestinian slogans, is expected to spur further violence in the occupied territories.

Israel sends reinforcements

The Israeli military has sent reinforcements to the West Bank as part of preparations to further suppress Palestinians.

The reinforcements – three battalions – were sent to the West Bank on Sunday, in addition to four battalions already deployed to the area since the beginning of Ramadan, increasing the number of Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank to thousands more than usual.

The attacks in the West Bank coincide with Israeli escalations against the Gaza Strip, which has fallen victim to the regime’s continued attacks in recent weeks.

On Sunday, the Israeli military said it targeted several military positions of the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas in the besieged Gaza Strip, after rockets and incendiary balloons were launched from Gaza in retaliation, which caused 39 fires in the south of the occupied territories.

Train activity between Ashkelon and Netivot was halted due to the spread of two fires caused by incendiary balloons between Sha’ar Hanegev and Eshkol Regional Councils, with road access also being blocked off by the fires.

Rocket sirens sound in occupied territories

Rocket sirens sounded in the city of Sderot, adjacent to the Gaza Strip, on Monday morning. The alarms also sounded in the city of Ashkelon and nearby communities on Sunday night. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, according to Israeli media.

The Israeli military said two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip toward Ashkelon and surrounding communities on Sunday night, one of which it claimed was intercepted by the so-called Iron Dome system and the other landed in an open, unpopulated area.

Early on Monday, the Israeli military fired several missiles and shells against various areas in the northern, central and southern parts of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian media reported.

The occupying regime’s attacks targeted east of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, as well as the areas of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun in the north of the Gaza Strip. Two missiles also landed east of Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but Palestinian sources said the attacks caused fires and severe damage.