Tensions are high in Al-Quds on Thursday as thousands of Israelis take part in the provocative so-called ‘Flag March’ in the Palestinian capital and the Old City’s Muslim Quarter.
Fierce clashes erupted in the occupied Palestinian city of Al-Quds between Palestinians and the Zionist settlers as well as occupation forces.
The Israeli troops arrested a Palestinian youth after managing to raise Palestine’s flag near Al-Aqsa Mosque where the Zionist settlers were gathering and stoning the journalists.
On Gaza border, the Palestinian youths held a demonstration and raised the national flag in face of the enemy forces that opened fire and injured a number of demonstrators.
Israeli occupation Security forces were gearing up for the controversial march, with 3,000 police officers being deployed across the holy city, Israeli media reported.
The Flag March is staged by Israeli settlers every year to mark what they call the “unification of Jerusalem”, in reference to Israeli occupation of the holy city in 1967.
Watch: Hundreds of Israeli settlers gather to take part in the provocative “Flag March” in the occupied Palestinian city of Lod, today. pic.twitter.com/ltK1REnwZO
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 18, 2023
Several members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, Negev and Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem Minister Meir Porush were slated to take part in the march, according to The Times of Israel.
Hamas: “Zionist March Won’t Pass”
Head of Hamas politburo Ismail Haniyeh stressed that the security alert raised by the occupation forces indicates the fragility of the Zionist security in the region.
Meanwhile, reports suggested that there were concerns over the possibility of Palestinian resistance operations and rocket fire from Gaza.
Hamas resistance movement threatened the Israeli occupation against holding the march.
Spokesperson Abd al-Latif al-Qanou said the battle over the Al-Aqsa Mosque is “open and ongoing,” issues call for supporters to gather to “protect and escalate the different arenas.”
Senior Hamas official Salah al-Bardawil stressed in a statement that “the Zionist Flag March will not pass, and the response will inevitably come.”
Meanwhile Gaza’s Balloon unit – responsible for launching balloons ferrying incendiary and explosive devices into occupied territories in the past – said it would resume activities Thursday.
“Israel Not Interested in Escalation”
Meanwhile, the Egyptian mediator has reportedly relayed a message to the Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza that the Zionist entity is not interested in an escalation.
Al-Akhbar Lebanese daily reported that the Egyptian mediator stressed the Israeli government has no intention to change the status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Al-Aqsa Incursions
Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Al-Quds early on Thursday, ahead of the scheduled ‘Flag March’.
Hundreds of settlers reportedly entered the mosque within an hour, as the Israeli occupation forces increased security in Al-Quds.
Since the morning, at least 824 colonial Israeli settlers break into Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsq Mosque courtyards in commemoration of the so-called “Jerusalem Day”, Israel’s occupation of Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/Rdm9KG3t5z
— AlQastal News (@QastalNewsEn) May 18, 2023
The incursion occurred as occupation forces in the area tightened their measures and prevented Palestinians from entering the mosque for morning prayers.
The Old City of Al-Quds was put on high alert, with over 3,000 police officers deployed to protect the planned Israeli rampage.
The parade this year comes on the heels of last week’s brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza. The 5-day offensive resulted in the deaths of 33 Palestinians, including women and children.
Additionally, Israeli occupation forces have been carrying out raids and arrests in the occupied West Bank on daily bases, with raids taking place in several cities including Nablus and Jenin.
Palestinian Red Crescent said it teams dealt with a rubber bullet injury and cases of suffocation during Thursday’s incursions in other areas, including Nablus, Beit Ur al-Tahta, Burqa, and Beit Lahm.
Source: Palestinian and Israeli media (translated and edited by Al-Manar English Website)
