Hamas Demands Muslim Support amid Al-Aqsa Crisis
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Leader of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, called on Islamic countries to support the Palestinian nation and mount pressure on the Israeli regime that has created a crisis at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem (al-Quds).
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya sent separate letters to heads of the Muslims states, expressing concern about the escalation of Israeli aggression in the city of Quds and violation of the historic status quo at the Muslim-administered al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
“The (al-Aqsa) Mosque calls for your conscience and your honor, because it is impossible to continue silently in the face of the attempts of the Israeli occupation to start a new reality there," Haniya said in the letter published by the al-Risala newspaper.
He also noted that the time has come to carry out the resolutions the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have passed in support of al-Aqsa Mosque.
Protests have been raging in Palestine since Israeli authorities installed metal detectors, turnstiles, and additional security cameras in the al-Aqsa Mosque compound following a deadly shooting attack two weeks ago.
Following days of demonstrations and clashes, Israel started to remove the barriers, scaffoldings, high-tech cameras and metal detectors from at least one of the gates to the compound on Wednesday.
On July 14, three Palestinians opened fire on Israeli forces at the compound, killing two of them before being shot dead.
Palestinian worshipers strongly condemned Israel’s new restrictive measures at al-Aqsa Mosque, engaging in bitter clashes with Israeli military forces.
