Further escalation between Israelis, Palestinians

The situation in the occupied Palestinian territories escalated in the early hours of Friday, April 7, after Israeli forces fired rockets into the Giza Strip and southern Lebanon, followed by a shooting against Israeli settlers and the continued arrests of Palestinians in Old Jerusalem.

According to the Palestinian embassy in Cairo, a series of airstrikes started Thursday evening on different parts of the Gaza Strip, including the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, Deir el-Balah, Khan Yunis and Beit Hanoun.

The airstrikes caused damage to several homes and Al-Durrah Children's Hospital in Gaza City, WAFA reported. However, a few hours later, calm prevailed in the Gaza Strip. In addition, Israeli police forces also assaulted dozens of Palestinians who were heading to Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform the dawn prayer on Friday.

In response to the far-right Israeli government’s provocative acts, two Israeli settlers were killed and their mother was injured in a shooting on Friday morning in Hamra Junction near the Al-Aghwar region in the West Bank, said the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), adding, “IDF soldiers are blocking routes adjacent to the scene of the shooting attack and are currently in pursuit of the terrorists.”

Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Abdullah Bou Habib asked the Permanent Mission of Lebanon to the United Nations in New York to submit an official complaint to the UN Security Council following “the deliberate Israeli bombing and aggression” in areas in southern Lebanon. They added that the Israeli attack is a “flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and a flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and threatens stability.”

As usual, after every escalation between the Israelis and Palestinians, international condemnations were issued by several countries like Egypt, France, China, the UK, and others, calling for calm and the exercise of maximum restraint between both sides.

The escalation took place a few hours after Israeli police forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque and assaulted the Muslim worshippers and forced them to leave the mosque as a way to prepare the way for Jews to sacrifice offerings during the Jewish Passover holiday that started on April 5, a ritual that is not allowed at Al-Aqsa Mosque, in accordance with the international accords regarding Jerusalem. The status quo in Jerusalem is that Jews can enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound but are not allowed to perform prayers there.

Palestinian journalist Diaa Al Haj told Jusoor Post that there is a cautious calm at the moment, saying, “This Friday passed calmly, despite the deployment of large forces of the Israeli police and border guards in the Old City of Jerusalem, but the police movements were not near the mosque where a large number of worshipers are.”

“The police refrained, apparently because they did not want an escalation in the current situation. This is evident from the fact that the police forces did not enter to break up the procession, which usually takes place after Friday prayers,” he said.

“As long as the police do not enter Al-Aqsa Mosque, there will be no repression and assault, especially on worshipers,” he continued.

Al Haj said that escalation could possibly occur again at the end of the Jewish Passover holiday next Thursday or Friday, amid intense Jewish storming and calls to sacrifice offerings inside Al-Aqsa Mosque.