Israeli forces have prevented Palestinian Christians from attending a religious observance at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the occupied al-Quds, physically assaulting worshippers trying to reach the holy site.
“Drop Site News” said in a post on X on Saturday that the occupation’s soldiers tightened security measures around the Old City, setting up checkpoints and restricting worshippers and visitors from accessing the holy site to observe the Holy Saturday vigil.
Videos showed Israeli police flooding the church square and assaulting worshippers inside, emptying the site of visitors and worshippers.
A senior clergy, including the Vatican’s representative, were also detained and turned away.
Holy Saturday, also known as Great and Holy Saturday, commemorates when Jesus lay in his tomb after his crucifixion, and comes a day before Easter, the holiest day in Christianity.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located in the Old City in East Jerusalem, is believed by Christians to be the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.
The latest crackdown comes a few days after Israel prevented tens of thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank from entering al-Quds to celebrate the Palm Sunday feast day.
Israeli forces issued only 6,000 permits for West Bank Christians, although the population exceeds 50,000, the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported on Monday.
Church leaders have responded by canceling public Easter celebrations, citing the ongoing Israeli genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip and attacks across the West Bank.
Since the most right-wing Israeli cabinet came to power in 2022, incidents against Christians in al-Quds have reportedly become more violent and common.
Victims of these incidents say the Israeli police do little to arrest and punish the attackers most of the time. Community leaders believe the police dismiss or minimize the religious motivations behind these attacks, typically claiming the perpetrators suffer from mental illness.
