The authorities in Srinagar, the capital city of Jammu and Kashmir, disallowed congregational Friday prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid. This decision was made in anticipation of pro-Palestine and anti-Israel demonstrations due to their airstrikes on the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas militants
A view shows the closed gate of the Srinagar’s Grand Mosque. AFP File
The authorities in Srinagar, the capital city of Jammu and Kashmir, disallowed congregational Friday prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid. This decision was made in anticipation of pro-Palestine and anti-Israel demonstrations due to their airstrikes on the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas militants.
PTI reported quoting sources that congregational prayers were not allowed "in view of apprehensions of protests against the Israeli action in Gaza". The grand mosque located in Nowhatta area of the city was locked and no Friday prayers were allowed, officials said. Security forces personnel were deployed in strength around the mosque, the repot said.
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While there was no official word on the reason for the closure of the mosque for prayers, the sources said there were apprehensions of protests against the Israeli action in the Gaza Strip.
The Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid "the managing body of the mosque" in a statement, said police officials have closed the gates of the mosque Srinagar and informed it that Friday prayers will not be allowed. The Auqaf also claimed that Mirwaiz Umar Farooq "has yet again been put under house arrest early morning today". The Mirwaiz was recently released after four years of house detention in the wake of the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch has expressed serious concerns about Israel's use of white phosphorus in its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, stating that it places civilians at risk of severe and long-term injuries. The organization, in a statement published on its website, said that on October 11, verified videos showing multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border, which took place on October 10 and 11, 2023. Additionally, interviews were conducted with witnesses who described an attack involving white phosphorus in Gaza.
Also read: Israel used white phosphorus in Gaza and Lebanon, says Human Rights Watch; raises concern
Lama Fakih, the Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, emphasized, in a statement, the severe consequences of using white phosphorus in populated urban areas, explaining that it can result in excruciating burns and lifelong suffering for individuals. When white phosphorus is airburst in densely populated areas, it can destroy houses and cause serious harm to civilians, making its use unlawful and indiscriminate.
Human Rights Watch interviewed two individuals from the al-Mina area in Gaza City who witnessed strikes consistent with the use of white phosphorus. The witnesses described ongoing airstrikes followed by explosions in the sky and the descent of white lines, with the attack occurring sometime between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. They also reported a stifling smell. Video footage of the incident confirmed the use of airburst 155mm white phosphorus artillery projectiles.
Two additional videos from October 10, near the Israel-Lebanon border, showed 155mm white phosphorus artillery projectiles being used, apparently for smokescreens, marking, or signaling.
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