Hamas and Islamic Jihad this morning warned of the repercussions of Israeli occupation forces storming Al-Aqsa Mosque and assaulting worshippers at the Muslim holy site.
The head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said: “What is happening at Al-Aqsa is an unprecedented crime that has consequences.”
“Everyone must bear the responsibility, Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims.”
Haniyeh called on the Palestinian people in the West Bank and inside Israel to go to “Al-Aqsa and protect it.”
In turn, the Islamic Jihad movement warned of the outbreak of an “inevitable confrontation” with Israel in the coming days due to the escalating tension at Al-Aqsa.
“What is happening in Al-Aqsa Mosque poses a serious threat to our sanctities,” said the movement’s Secretary-General, Ziyad Al-Nakhala, in a statement.
He added: “The Palestinian people must be present, in all its components, for an inevitable confrontation in the coming days.” He gave no details as to where the confrontation would take place.
Israeli occupation forces stormed the Al-Qibli prayer hall in Al-Aqsa Mosque, assaulted the worshippers, and threw stun grenades at them in an attempt to force them to leave the prayer area last night.
Palestinians had remained on site in an effort to protect the mosque from attempts by extremist far-right settlers to carry out sacrifices at the site to mark the Passover holiday which began last night and ends on 12 April.
READ: Israeli extremism means that there are fewer opportunities for Arab normalisation