By: Kate Anderson, Daily Caller News Foundation
Groups of Palestinians have barricaded themselves inside one of the holiest sites in Jerusalem on Tuesday ahead of the celebration of Passover, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Palestinian terrorist groups have called for attacks against Jewish people worshipping at the al-Aqsa Mosque during the Jewish holiday, according to The Jerusalem Post. Groups of Palestinians have been blocking the area since the start of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan on March 22, and on the eve of Passover, dozens have attempted to lock themselves inside the mosque.
Reports have indicated that the Israeli Yamam Counter-Terror Units and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been deployed to the site in order to end the standoff. Police had reportedly stated that threats to Jewish visitors during the upcoming holiday of Passover have led to an increased security presence, according to The Jerusalem Post.
While Jews are allowed on the Temple Mount, only Muslims can perform religious rituals or prayers due to a longstanding agreement after the Six-Day War in 1967, according to JewishUnpacked.
A Jewish group called Returning to the Mount, which advocates for the right to perform sacrifices and religious rituals on the Temple Mount, reportedly offered tens of thousands of shekels for anyone who can perform the Paschal lamb, or Passover, sacrifice during the holy week, according to The Jerusalem Post. As a result, Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization, threatened to attack Jewish visitors at the Temple Mount if the sacrifice were to be performed.
“We warn the occupation against committing foolish actions that affect al-Aqsa Mosque, and we call on our struggling Palestinian people to mobilize, raise the level of readiness, tighten the journey, intensify the bond and retreat in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and repel the occupation’s aggression and thwart the plans of its terrorist settlers,” Hamas said in a statement, according to The Jerusalem Post.
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