Israeli Military Update: More Rockets Fired From Syria

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Early Sunday morning, the Israeli military reported that three rockets were shot from Syria towards Israel. That makes six missiles that were fired in just a few hours – which is very unusual for two countries who aren’t usually enemies like this. In response to the attack, the Israeli army started shooting artillery at Syria from where the rockets were launched.

The Israelis have been firing rockets in response to the recent fights that have been happening because of the disagreement in Jerusalem and a police raid on a very important holy site.

During the second attack, two missiles flew into Israel. One of them was blocked, but the other one landed in an open area. In the first attack, one rocket went into a field in the Golan Heights which is part of Israel. Furthermore, pieces from another missile that was destructed fell in Jordan close to the Syrian border according to reports by Jordanian military officers. Fortunately, nobody got hurt during this incident.

A group of Palestinians that support the government in Damascus, Syria reported that they sent 3 missiles to Israel on Saturday. This was done as a response to police raiding Al-Aqsa Mosque. The militia is different from another one called the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s army unit but has a similar name – the Al-Quds Brigade.

The person who helps the President of Syria, Bashar Assad, said that rockets being fired are a part of the plan to fight back against their enemy.

Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 20-year-old Palestinian man named Ayed Salim in the town of Azzun in the West Bank. This caused lots of people to get angry and protest. The Israeli military said that they shot because some Palestinians were throwing stones and explosives at them.

At this time, a lot of people are dying in the West Bank. Based on what Big Big News is reporting, over ninety Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in 2020 and half of them were part of groups that use violence.

Over the last little while, attacks from Palestinians against Israelis have caused 19 deaths. Out of all those victims, only one wasn’t a civilian – the other 18 were everyday people like you and me. For example, last Friday two British-Israelis were shot near a settlement in the Jordan Valley and an Italian tourist was killed by someone driving a car into them in Tel Aviv.

Recently, rockets were fired from Syria as the tension between Israel and Palestine rose. This was caused by an incident where Israeli police raided a holy place called Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan, which is a special fasting month for Muslims. Outraged by this event, fighters in Lebanon and Gaza Strip fired many rockets into Israel.

After Hamas attacked Israel, Israeli airplanes responded by targeting places connected to the Palestinian militant group in both Gaza and Lebanon.

On Saturday night, it was very tense in Jerusalem because there were a few hundred Palestinians in the mosque located on top of a hill in the middle of Jerusalem’s old city. Both Muslims and Jews think this place is special. Israeli police tried to move out these worshippers from the mosque but there was a lot of fighting due to fireworks and rocks being thrown around.

The situation just got worse in Israel, leading their Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to close off access to the country from Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the Jewish holiday Passover. At the same time more police have been sent to Jerusalem to keep things safe for religious celebrations happening soon.

In Nablus, a city in the northern part of the West Bank, an group called the Lion’s Den said they killed someone who told the Israeli army where they were and what they were doing. In recent months, some members of this group had been specifically targeted and killed by Israeli security forces.

The death of a man was reported and videos have been seen in Palestinian media that showed people trying to help him after he was hurt with lots of blood around him. Oday Azizi, the commander from Lion’s Den had said “Those who betray us don’t belong to any group or family.”

Recently, people from all around the world have visited Jerusalem’s Old City for very important religious reasons. This is because Ramadan and Passover are happening at the same time as Easter celebrations! The Old City contains special places of worship for Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Gallant said that last Wednesday, he put a stop on people from Palestine going into Israel for work or to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque until Wednesday night – which is when Passover ends. Prayers at the mosque were allowed on Friday though. Gallant also asked the Israeli military to help out and guard the area around Jerusalem and in the West Bank, so extra troops have been deployed there.

On Sunday, around 2,000 policemen are going to be at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The Western Wall is a special place where Jews go and pray, and a lot of people (maybe around ten thousand) will be there that day for Passover. Nearby is the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound where lots of Muslims usually gather every day during Ramadan for prayers.

On Saturday, the police chief of Jerusalem had a meeting with his commanders. He said that Hamas, a militant group in charge of Gaza Strip is claiming lies about Jews wanting to break into the mosque on Sunday and causing trouble. But he made it clear that worshippers from all religions will be allowed to safely celebrate their beliefs with the help of police officers who will handle this situation with caution and fairness.

This week, Israeli police entered a mosque and fired tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinians who had locked the doors from inside. This caused uproar in Jerusalem and made people all over the Arab world angry.