Fear of potential war after Al-Aqsa Mosque raid

Nearly a year after clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in Jerusalem triggered a war in Gaza, rising tensions in the city during Ramadan have sparked worries of a repetition of 2021.

When Israeli riot police invaded the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Friday, they were attacked with stone-throwing and firecrackers, injuring 158 Palestinians.

Israel took the Al-Aqsa complex during the 1967 Six-Day War and eventually annexed it, a decision that was not recognised by the international world.

Al-Aqsa Mosque, built in the seventh century, is believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad rose to heaven. Jewish people think the site formerly housed the Biblical Jewish temples and call it Temple Mount.

The disputed location has been the focal focus of Israeli occupation for decades.

“Jerusalem is undoubtedly the most explosive issue,” said Khalil Shikaki, head of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.

“We’ve seen it before,” he remarked.

In recent weeks, Palestinians have killed Israelis, and Israeli forces have killed Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, causing indignation in the holy city, which is celebrating Ramadan, Passover, and Easter this month.

Netanyahu’s police raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque was a “brutal attack on worshipers during the holy month”, said Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.

A Hamas speaker declared during a gathering in Gaza that Israel’s use of force against the sacred site would not go unanswered.

Defending Jerusalem will be a new age; weapons for weapons, and aggression will only be matched with force, said spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum.

In May 2021, Palestinian armed groups launched rockets into Israel after Hamas requested that Israeli police leave from Al-Aqsa and Sheikh Jarrah, where a court threatened to evict Palestinian inhabitants, causing demonstrations and clashes.

During the 11-day fighting that ensued, 250 Palestinians and 13 Israelis died.

Despite efforts to restore peace in Jerusalem and around Israel, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said security personnel were ready to deploy if necessary.

“We are ready for every scenario,” he added in a statement.

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