Israelis and Palestinians are bracing for a tense and potentially violent week with no sign of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and Hamas calling for protest marches across the Islamic world to mark the start of Ramadan on Monday. .
Earlier this month, it appeared that hostilities could cease before the Islamic holy month, but hopes have faded since indirect talks in Cairo ended without progress last week.
President Joe Biden on Friday said the deal between Hamas and Israel now looks “tight,” and when asked if he was worried about violence in Jerusalem, he said “I certainly am.” Ta.
Every year, Ramadan spotlights Israel’s control of the high-rise complex in Jerusalem’s Old City, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount. Hundreds of thousands of Muslim worshipers attempt to access Al-Aqsa Mosque for this purpose. A special prayer that is only performed during Ramadan. The mosque is the third holiest place in Islam after Mecca and Medina. Almost adjacent to Al-Aqsa Mosque is the Western Wall, the holiest place of prayer for Jews.
Hamas cited police raids on mosques in 2022 and 2023 as the reason for the October 7 attack, which it dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Islamic extremist groups are seeking to mobilize Palestinians and Muslims around the world over access issues during Ramadan.
Hamas military spokesman Abu Obeida, in a video statement posted on his Telegram channel Friday, called Ramadan “the month of victory, the month of jihad” and said Hamas is defending the honor of Muslims around the world. said. In Gaza.
“We call on our people to march on Jerusalem, pray in mosques and resist the occupation, which achieves its objectives of domination and division. Al-Aqsa Mosque is ours.”
Earlier this month, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in exile in Qatar, urged Islamist groups in the Middle East, many backed by Iran, to step up attacks on Israel during Ramadan, saying: We called for a broad international movement to break the siege against Israel.” Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
The Gaza war was sparked by a brutal Hamas attack on southern Israel in October that killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Hamas militants also took 250 hostages, about half of whom were released during the ceasefire in November.
Israel then launched an offensive against Gaza, which the Hamas-ruled region’s health ministry says has killed at least 30,878 people, mostly women and children, and left much of the territory in ruins. It is being announced.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told military cadets that Israel would likely proceed with a menacing ground assault on Rafah, the last relatively safe place in Gaza, during Ramadan. Even Israel’s staunch allies have warned that such attacks could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and trigger an escalation of violence.
Rafah is Gaza’s southernmost city and is home to about 1 million displaced people. It is also a gateway to much-needed aid and a logistics hub for aid agencies. Israel says the attack will not end until it deals with both, as Hamas’ leaders and most of its remaining troops are there.
On Saturday, Biden said the potential invasion of Rafah was a “red line” for him, but added that he would never “leave Israel.”
“There is no red line that cannot be crossed, because the defense of Israel remains important. We will cut off all weapons so that there will be no iron dome to protect Israel.”
In a sign of increasingly strained relations between the US and Israeli presidents, Biden said in an interview with MSNBC that he believes Netanyahu is “hurting Israel more than helping it” with his war efforts. “He must pay a price,” he added. Please pay more attention to the innocent lives that are lost as a result of actions taken. ”
Hugh Lovat of the European Council on Foreign Relations said the arrival of Ramadan has implications for the whole region, adding: “Hamas is increasing its momentum due to the perception that al-Haram al-Sharif is under threat. “There is an opportunity to mobilize Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank.” …Violence on the sacred promenade could easily spark violence elsewhere beyond Israel’s borders, such as in the West Bank or Lebanon. ”
Observers say the most likely immediate spark for protests, and perhaps violence, will be the imposition of severe restrictions on prayers in al-Haram al-Sharif. But equally, the sight of large numbers of Muslims praying unhindered could help calm tensions after months of conflict.
“If things go well and people see 500,000 worshipers in mosques, things will calm down, but if people see road closures, checkpoints, Muslims having to pray on the streets, then things will calm down. “This will be a warning,” said Samer Sinijarawi. Jerusalem Development Fund NGO.
Israel’s far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir last month told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that even Israel’s Muslim minority, which makes up about 18% of the population, would be barred from entering venues during Ramadan this year. This caused an uproar. The charges have been dismissed and Israeli police have been instructed to limit the number of people in accordance with current security and crowd control standards, with a review to follow in a week.
Palestinians in the West Bank have been informally told that men, women and children over the age of 60 will be allowed to pass through checkpoints to holy sites during Ramadan. Since October 7, only a small number of the three million Palestinians living in the West Bank have been allowed to enter Israel.
Israeli officials said they would not impose any restrictions on Israeli Arabs and residents of East Jerusalem.
“Muslims will meet every day to pray and sit around a table with what is happening in Gaza in their minds. In Ramadan, such things will be 10 It has a double impact,” he said. observer. “The weather is there. We’re just waiting out the storm.”
