[ID: A video showing an IOF soldier among a crowd at Al Aqsa mosque, pushing them into the mosque. He pushes a man towards the mosque, hitting him on the legs with the baton. He then pushes a teenage boy, who bristles and pushes back. The soldier pushes him hard to the ground. The boy stands up and pushes back. The soldier then hits him with the baton. When the boy's down, he looms over him and kicks and hits him with the baton repeatedly, as people around them record and try to push him away. When he's done, he walks away calmly. / end id]
Yesterday, Palestinian Muslims gathered for Fajr at Al Aqsa mosque, one of the holiest places for Muslims in the world. The Israeli Occupation Forces invaded en masse and attacked the gathered worshippers, throwing tear gas and rubber bullets, handcuffing Palestinians face down on the floor, brutalizing men, women, children, people with disabilities and elders alike, breaking the ancient structures of the mosque and violently kettling them inside the complex, where they threw more tear gas and shot live rounds.
Over 400 Palestinians were arrested by the IOF. More than 150 were harmed, and the soldiers blocked access by paramedics and ambulances. Many of them were taken to Moscobiya prison, known for using torture methods against Palestinians, including children. The relatives of the kidnapped people were also severely beaten when they tried to get more information.
Besides that, the IOF shot a journalist in the head, another one in the arm and broke the arm of another one. Cameras and cellphones that recorded the invasion were taken by the soldiers, and people trying to report on it were censored by Instagram, either by having their posts taken down or by being shadowbanned, like Bella Hadid and Muna El Kurd (check her stories).
Repression during Ramadan is historical. Since the beginning of the occupation, Israel hinders access to the mosque in an attempt to stop Palestinian Muslims from praying, amounting to collective punishment. IOF soldiers block gates, chain the doors to the mosque, desecrate the grounds that have stood intact for centuries, attack and kidnap gathered worshippers in attempts to break their spirit.
This year, threats started before Ramadan even started, with settlers offering bounties in online foruns to those who could make the Passover rituals inside the mosque. Since Ramadan started, there's been a violent crackdown on Palestinians, with 15 Palestinians being martyred since the beginning of the month all around the country.
I won't list all of them, because that would make the post very long, but I want to leave this video here of Fawaz Hamayel. He took part in Beita's night confusions to resist Israelis trying to build settlements on their land. He said his goal was to guarantee a better life for his children. He left 6 children. The IOF raided his funeral and threw tear gas at the mourning crowd.
Raids happened in Nablus and Jenin as well. In Nablus, IOF soldiers tried to run over Palestinians with tanks. In Nazareth, children were brutally detained. The IOF was also raiding Bethlehem at the same time. A Jerusalemite had to destroy his own home.
A 4 PM curfew from Friday to Sunday has been imposed on all Palestinians, and men are only allowed inside if they present their ID cards. Even through all of that, Palestinians still manage to resist. Several gathered to clean the mosque for prayers. Palestinian bus drivers called to drive the worshippers to prison refused to attend the call. The Palestinians who were arrested took pictures smiling and throwing up the victory sign.
Palestinians are scared this will lead to an escalation that will wind up in another massacre of Gaza like we saw last May. It's urgent that we pay attention to their plight.
Israel constructs an image for itself that it's a haven for democracy in the middle east. Palestinians are proving over and over that this is not true.
This post is made of info I learned from Palestinians, the links through this post lead to actual grassroots organizers. Take your time to follow them and find ways to act on your anger, because if their voices didn't matter the settler apparatus wouldn't work so hard to silence them.
Here's a post by a Palestinian linking to Palestinian organizers.
Here's a link to Decolonize Palestine, that explains in a very easy to follow way the story of the Palestinian genocide.
Follow BDS guidelines.
Amplify Palestinian voices. Palestine will be free within our lifetimes.
This happened again today.
Over 545 settlers have stormed the mosque since this morning 17/4/22 protected by the IOF and Palestinians are being beaten and forced out of the mosque to secure it for settlers: IOF beating a father and his child terrorizing him, brutally arresting a father in front of his terrorized children, keeping people from peacefully reading Qur’an, attacking women inside the Aqsa mosque, Worshippers besieged inside the mosque unwilling to leave to protect it and calling to defend it from the settlers and the israeli occupation forces. You can watch all the videos on eye.on.palestine ‘s instagram.
From Yazan.khanfer’s story on instagram a couple days ago :
Until the Palestinian struggle is acknowledged, please mention every single mainstream media outlet on anything Palestine--related you share in your instagram and social media stories : (e.g: @cnn @bbc @nytimes @msnbc @dailymail..etc). As many as you know, as many as you can.
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