As Passover begins, Gaza militants have fired several rockets into Israel. According to FOX News, all seven rockets fired on Thursday morning exploded in midair, and this is not the first time that Gaza has fired rockets during this year’s holidays. While the Muslim holiday of Ramadan continues, the Jewish holiday of Passover is just beginning, and Jerusalem police have been responding to numerous threats to the safety and security of those visiting the holy sites.
Tensions remain high surrounding the holy sites, especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is the holiest site for Muslims during Ramadan. The mosque also stands on the foundation of the Jewish Temple Mount, which is the holiest site in Judaism.
Israeli authorities are allowing visitors access to the mosque, but maintaining that overnight visitations will only be permitted during the last week of the month-long celebration of Ramadan. Still, some Muslim visitors have been trying to thwart the agreed upon rules and are attempting to stay overnight before the final week. This has led to attacks on Israeli police as they try to clear the area each night. Muslims at the mosque have thrown rocks and fireworks at the police as they try to do their job, which has led to many arrests and “some violent interactions.”
In one instance last week, police handled an escalating situation with “several law-breaking youths and masked agitators” barricading themselves inside the mosque and chanting “violent slogans.” Police initially tried getting them out of the mosque by first speaking with them, but the resistance of the agitators to cooperate led to the police needing to enter the mosque in order to maintain security in the area.
The conflict seen in Jerusalem at this time is not new. Last year, tensions during Ramadan and Passover led to an 11-day war between Israel and the Gaza-based terrorist organization Hamas.