Hamas Launches Missiles on Jerusalem
Hamas doesn’t care that it could have hit Arab neighborhoods.
From Israel Channel 12 News (screen shot)
At 6 P.M. local time sirens sounded in Jerusalem warning of a missile attack. This was the deadline set by the terrorist organization Hamas earlier in the day for Israel to withdraw all of its military and police from the Temple Mount. Hamas threatened to launch an all-out war if its demands were not met. For some reason it launched missiles on Jerusalem.
Seven missiles were launched towards Jerusalem out of Gaza and one was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, reported the IDF.
Hamas did not seem to care that the missiles could have hit Arab neighborhoods in the city or even the Temple Mount itself.
Sirens also sounded in the area around the Gaza strip which saw even more missiles launched against purely civilian targets. As of now no one has been wounded, but reports are still coming in.
The ultimatum came at 5 P.M. Israel Summer time. It came after weeks of tension involving multiple attacks by young Muslims against Jews in Jerusalem at around sundown as the daily Ramadan fast came to an end.
Seth Frantzman provide a video from the Damascus Gate on Twitter of the time that the sirens went off. Arabs can be seen cheering, not realizing that they themselves were in danger.
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Palestinian demonstrators near Damascus Gate cheer the sirens and apparent boom of interceptions in Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/1WSAycclkM
— Seth Frantzman (@sfrantzman) May 10, 2021
Violence was expected today as Israelis celebrated Yom Yerushalayim – Jerusalem Day. On this date on the Hebrew calendar the Israeli military took control of the old City of Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967.
The annual Jerusalem Day flag parade had its route changed at the last minute to avoid clashes. The parade traditionally goes through the Damascus Gate and from there down to the Western Wall Plaza. But this route foes through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City and the Damascus Gate had become the focal point for clashes between police and rioters in the past few days.
Israel Channel 12 News (screen shot)
Ynet News reports that clashes on the Temple Mount earlier today led to injuries for 21 police officers and 305 Arab protesters.
The police have ordered an end to all of the day’s celebrations, but news reports show people continuing to celebrate in the streets in defiance of the threat from Hamas.
