News - Middle East: Yemen Scholars Association affirmed on Wednesday the necessity of military preparation and the development of military capabilities to expel the Zionist occupier and cleanse Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Association called on the Arab and Islamic peoples and regimes to take strong practical stances that deter the usurper Zionist entity and not be satisfied with issuing shy statements.

Yemen Scholars stressed the importance of jihadist mobilization, strengthening the brotherly faith spirit and unifying the arenas of jihad and resistance in the face of the enemy.

The Association called on the countries normalizing ties with Israel to sever the relationship in all its forms and images with the usurping Zionist entity.

Dozens of heavily armed Israeli forces stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Tuesday night before firing tear gas and stun grenades into the Qibli prayer hall, where hundreds of men, women, elderly people and children were staying overnight to pray. Some eyewitnesses said rubber-coated steel bullets were also fired, Press TV reported. 

Israeli officers then beat worshipers with batons and riot guns, wounding many, before arresting them.

Videos from inside the mosque showed Israeli officers repeatedly hitting people with batons while they appeared to lie on the floor. In the meantime, the cries for help from women and children could be heard in the background. 

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said it received multiple reports of injuries at al-Aqsa Mosque but has not been able to determine the number of casualties as Israeli forces continue to block medics from reaching the wounded. 

Local media outlets said dozens were wounded and the injuries have included bruises, fractures and breathlessness from inhaling tear gas.

One of the female worshipers who was at the scene told local media that women were eventually let out but the men were harshly beaten and arrested. 

“Every single one of them was harshly beaten. Every single man,” she said. 

The Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs estimates that at least 400 people have been arrested.

After the raid, local mosques around al-Quds called on Palestinians through speakerphones to stage a mass rally in the occupied city and support those assaulted in the mosque. 

Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets across the occupied West Bank to condemn the assault and confront Israeli troops at checkpoints and military posts.

Elsewhere in the besieged Gaza Strip, Palestinian resistance fighters launched a volley of rockets toward the occupied territories.

At least one rocket landed inside the territories and caused damage to a food factory. No casualties were recorded, according to Israeli media outlets.