Israeli Soldiers Throw Stun Grenade Toward Worshippers in West Bank Mosque

Israeli soldiers threw a stun grenade toward worshippers inside a mosque near Bethlehem during a raid, according to Voice of Palestine, in what the report described as the third attack on a place of worship since the beginning of September.

The incident took place at the Grand Mosque in Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank. Voice of Palestine published a photograph of a grenade lying on the mosque’s carpet after evening prayers, but did not specify exactly when the incident occurred.

The report also said worshippers at a mosque in Madama, in the Nablus governorate of the northern West Bank, had difficulty breathing after Israeli forces fired tear gas inside the mosque during evening prayers on Tuesday night.

According to the report, attacks on West Bank mosques have increased in recent months. They have included the use of grenades, attempted mosque arson and racist slogans written on mosque walls.

On September 1, Israeli settlers reportedly tried to burn the Nour al-Din Zanki Mosque in Bazariya, in the Nablus governorate. After failing to break through the mosque’s door, they set fire to a room next to it and wrote racist slogans and threats against Palestinians on the walls.