Far-right Israelis have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and a UN facility for Palestinian refugees during the controversial annual “Flag March” which celebrates Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem.
Thousands of Israelis stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and surrounding areas, including Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is Islam’s third-holiest site.
Ben-Gvir posted a video to his account on X from the site saying he “prayed for victory in the war, for the return of all our hostages, and for the success of the newly-appointed head of the Shin Bet - Major General David Zini”.
There have been reports that some Israelis chanted, “Death to Arabs” and “May your village burn”. There have also been reports of some confronting Palestinian shopkeepers, passers-by, and schoolchildren, as well as Israeli rights activists and police.
Police forces were dispatched in advance as settlers regularly assault and harass Palestinians in the Muslim quarter.
A witness told Reuters News Agency that a group of young settlers spat on a Palestinian woman and journalists, and nearby Israeli police did not intervene.
Forced entry into UNRWA compound
A small group of Israelis stormed UNRWA’s compound in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem. A member of the Israeli parliament led the group.
UNRWA reports that the group brought flags and erected banners, seeking to claim the compound for the establishment of a new Israeli neighbourhood.
The group asserted they were “liberating” the “former UNRWA headquarters”.
Under international law, the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel is not recognized.
UNRWA stated that Israeli police, who were alerted, failed to protect the inviolability of the UN premises.
Read UNRWA’s full statement here, and more on Al Jazeera here.