Bethlehem / PNN /

Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday evening attacked Palestinian worshippers marking the Feast of St. George in Al-Khader, a town south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, according to Local sources.

The sources reported security sources as confirming that a convoy of Israeli army vehicles stormed the old area of the town, where many Palestinian Christians had assembled near St. George’s Monastery to observe the feast.

The sources added that the heavily armed soldiers unleashed barrages of tear gas and concussion grenades, but without causing any injuries.

The Orthodox Church marks the feast of Saint George on April 23 according to the Julian Calendar, corresponding to May 5. St. George is also known to Christians as Mar Jeries, while the Muslims refer to him as Al Khader.

Bethlehem Governor Mohammad Taha Abu Alia said that Israeli occupation soldiers raided the area surrounding the monastery and stormed Palestinian police checkpoints set up nearby. They fired tear gas and stun grenades, triggering widespread panic and a stampede among citizens celebrating the Feast of Al-Khader in the vicinity of the monastery, as people attempted to seek shelter inside amid fear and chaos. This resulted in several cases of suffocation, as well as one injury caused by the crowd crush.

Governor Abu Alia held the occupation authorities responsible for the unfortunate events, stressing that what initially occurred was a minor altercation between clergy members and a resident from Beit Jala, which had been contained. However, he said that the intervention of Israeli forces, their attack on the monastery, and the storming of the Palestinian police checkpoint led to the escalation of the situation, condemning what he described as unjustified practices by the occupation army.

A Greek Orthodox Monastery dating back to the 16th century was erected in his name, just south of Bethlehem, next to the village that carries his name, Al-Khader.