JERUSALEM: Dozens of Israeli colonists stormed the Bab al-Rahma Cemetery, adjacent to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, vandalizing tombstones of graves this afternoon.
Eyewitnesses reported that the settlers colonists vandalized at least 10 tombstones, wreaking havoc on the cemetery, desecrating items such as cement and soil.
Israeli colonists have been raiding the burial site to perform Talmudic rituals, aiming to seize control of the area, the witnesses added. Additionally, the site faces frequent excavation by the Israeli occupation forces to establish a base for the controversial cable car project surrounding the Old City.
Covering an area of about 23 dunams, the Bab al-Rahma Cemetery holds the graves of prominent figures, including companions of the Islamic Prophet Mohammad like Ubadah Ibn al-Samit and Shaddad ibn Aws, as well as the graves of fighters who participated in the liberation of Jerusalem during the Umayyad and Ayyubid eras.
Israel’s hard-right government also plans to convert par
t of the cemetery into a tourist park as part of its ongoing efforts to Judaize the city.
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA