Amid war with Hamas, Israel will not restrict access to Al Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan

Every year, during Ramadan, hundreds of thousands of Muslims flock to the mosque’s esplanade, which has a capacity of about 400,000 people, although daily attendance is usually much lower (Reuters/Ammar Awad)

israel announced this tuesday Will not restrict Muslims’ access to Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during the holy month of RamadanIn an effort to ease heightened tensions over the war with Islamist group Hamas, talks for a ceasefire are slowly progressing.

During the first week of Ramadan, which begins between March 10 and 11, Israeli Arabs of the Muslim faith will be able to “enter” Temple Mount In the same quantity as in previous years,” the Israeli government indicated.

Jews Israelis call the Temple Mount what Muslims call the Esplanade of Mosques, where the Al Aqsa Mosque is located, in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem.

about this Holiest site for Judaism and third holiest site for IslamAnd has become a symbolic site of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav BraveryChief of the General Staff, Herzi Haleviand director of the Shin Bet security agency, Ronan BarIt has advocated maximum freedom of access to the mosque during Ramadan, in an effort to reduce tensions and prevent potential attacks.

The Islamist group Hamas, which de facto rules the Gaza Strip and has been at war with Israel since October 7, in mid-January called on Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank to rebel against any “criminal measures”. Invoked, which prohibits entry. Al Aqsa Mosque.

Every year during Ramadan, hundreds of thousands of Muslims flock to the mosques’ esplanade, which is almost at capacity. 400,000 peopleHowever daily attendance is usually very low.

Israel will not restrict access to Al Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan (EFE/EPA/Ala Badraneh)

While Israel has imposed access restrictions on Palestinian Muslims living in the occupied West Bank at a time of high tensions, it has avoided imposing those rules on the country’s Muslim minority.

But this year, amid the worst surge in violence in the West Bank since the war and the second intifada (2000-05), some Israeli ministers, like anti-Arab extremists itamar ben gvirhe advocated Ban the entry of Muslims in the temple.

Hamas started the war with attacks against Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 and abducting 250. Israeli military counter-attacks have since killed more than 30,600 people and injured 72,000 in the Gaza Strip, the majority of whom were civilians.

Egypt, Qatar and the United States, Mediators between Israel and Hamas are working around the clock to reach a ceasefire agreement before the start of Ramadan, with the aim of liberating Israelis. 130 mortgage It is still held by the Islamist group and compounds the unprecedented humanitarian crisis plaguing the remaining Gazans.

Although the “fundamental points” of a framework agreement for a ceasefire have been agreed upon, differences in some sections remain “widespread” and need to be talked about with other militias, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Since Hamas does not hold “all Israeli hostages”, he told the agency efe Palestinian sources close to the talks requested anonymity.

us President, Joe Biden, He warned this Tuesday that if Hamas and Israel do not reach an agreement before the start of Ramadan, the situation could become “very dangerous.”

Furthermore, he said that the possibility of a six-week ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons is now “in the hands of Hamas”, having received a “reasonable offer” from Israel.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues its powerful offensive by air, land and sea on the devastated Gaza Strip, where almost the entire population –2.3 million people– Amidst the outbreak of the pandemic, collapsing hospitals and shortage of drinking water, medicines and electricity, have been displaced and facing famine and overcrowding conditions.

Faced with the difficulty of launching humanitarian aid by land, several countries, including Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, France and the United Arab Emirates, have launched Food packages by air. The United States joined that strategy this weekend and announced that more deliveries would be taking place.

(with information from EFE)

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