MEE: Videos show armed Israeli forces brutally beating worshippers inside the mosque, as women and children cry for help

Israeli forces brutally assaulted dozens of Palestinian worshippers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday night and forcibly removed them from the site where they were peacefully observing the holy month of Ramadan. 

Dozens of heavily armed officers stormed the site, used stun grenades and fired tear gas into the Qibli prayer hall – the building with the silver dome – where hundreds of men, women, elderly people and children were staying overnight to pray. Some eyewitnesses said rubber-coated steel bullets were also fired. 

Israeli officers then beat worshippers with batons and riot guns, wounding many, before arresting them. Their conditions were not immediately made clear. 

Videos from inside the mosque showed Israeli officers repeatedly hitting people with batons while they appeared to lie on the floor. Meanwhile, the cries for help from women and children could be heard in the background. 

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said it received multiple reports of injuries at Al-Aqsa Mosque but was unable to estimate the number of casualties as Israeli forces blocked medics from reaching the wounded. One medic was attacked by an Israeli police officer and wounded outside one of the mosque’s gates.  

A PRCS spokesperson said they were informed that those wounded in the raid have been evacuated but they don’t know by who and where they were taken. 

Local media said dozens were wounded in the assault and the injuries have included bruises, fractures and breathlessness from inhaling tear gas. Some videos from the scene published online showed people apparently unconscious. 

A female eyewitness told local media that women were let out but the men were harshly beaten and arrested. 

“Every single one of them was harshly beaten. Every single man,” she said. 

Israeli police released a statement saying it detained dozens of “rioters” from Al-Aqsa Mosque to restore order at the site. The Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs estimates that between 400-500 men have been arrested.

FULL ARTICLE AT MEE