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Israel rocket sirens sound amid clashes at al-Aqsa mosque Israel police clash with worshippers at al-Aqsa mosque
(about 1 hour later)
Israeli police and worshippers in confrontation at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound Reports of dozens injured in Jerusalem early on Wednesday after raid that police say was sparked by rioting
Israeli police clashed with dozens of worshippers in Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound early on Wednesday, in what Israeli police said was a response to rioting.
Sirens warning of possible incoming rockets sounded in areas around Gaza soon after Israeli police clashed with dozens of worshippers in Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound, in what Israeli police said was a response to rioting. The incident sparked a wave of Palestinian protests, condemnations and violence. The Israeli military said sirens warning of incoming rockets sounded in Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that seven people were injured, and in a statement said that Israeli forces had prevented its medics from reaching the mosque. The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that dozens of worshippers, who spend all the night in Ramadan praying, were injured in a raid on the mosque. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that Israeli forces had prevented its medics from reaching the mosque.
Israeli police said in a statement that it was forced to enter the compound after “masked agitators” locked themselves inside the mosque with fireworks, sticks and stones. Videos on social media purportedly showed Israeli police officers beating Palestinians with batons and rifle butts at the mosque in the contested hilltop site revered by both Muslims and Jews.
“When the police entered, stones were thrown at them and fireworks were fired from inside the mosque by a large group of agitators,” the statement said, adding that a police officer was wounded in the leg.
Egypt’s foreign ministry released a statement urging a halt to Israel’s “blatant assault” on worshippers in the mosque.
“I was sitting on a chair reciting [the Qur’an],” an elderly woman told the Reuters news agency, while sitting outside the mosque, struggling to catch her breath. “They [the police] hurled stun grenades, one of them hit my chest,” she said as she began to cry.
In Gaza, Hamas and Islamic Jihad called for Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Israel to gather around al-Aqsa mosque and confront Israeli forces.
Violence in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem has surged over the past year, with concerns that tensions could escalate this month, when the Muslim holy month of Ramadan coincides with Judaism’s Passover and Christian Easter.
Friction at the al-Aqsa mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, has set off violence in recent years.
Palestinian groups condemned Israel’s clashes with worshippers, which they described as a crime.
“We warn the occupation against crossing red lines at holy sites, which will lead to a big explosion,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned the al-Aqsa clashes, while Egypt called for an immediate halt to Israel’s “blatant assault on worshippers”.Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned the al-Aqsa clashes, while Egypt called for an immediate halt to Israel’s “blatant assault on worshippers”.
Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report It was not immediately clear what sparked the violence. The Israeli police said it used force to evacuate worshippers who were holed up at the mosque with fireworks, rocks, and sticks. They added that an officer was injured in his leg by a stone and that dozens of “rioters” were arrested.
The violence in Jerusalem triggered protests and condemnations from Palestinians. In Gaza, Hamas called for large protests and people started gathering in the streets, with calls to head for the heavily guarded Gaza-Israel frontier for violent demonstrations.
The Palestinian leadership condemned the attack on the worshippers. The spokesperson of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, warned Israel that such a move “exceeds all red lines and will lead to a large explosion”.
In Gaza, Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad also called for Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Israel to go and gather around al-Aqsa mosque and confront Israeli forces.
The Israeli military said Gaza militants fired two barrages of rockets toward southern Israel. Five rockets were intercepted and four landed in open areas. There were no reports of casualties or damage.
Tension had already been high in East Jerusalem and the West Bank for months, and fears of further violence were fuelled by the convergence of Ramadan and the Passover.
Such confrontations at the contested holy compound, the third holiest shrine in Islam that is also the most sacred site in Judaism and referred to as the Temple Mount, have sparked deadly cross-border wars between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers in the past, the last was in 2021.
Israeli-Palestinian violence has surged over the last year, as the Israeli military has carried out near-nightly raids on Palestinian cities, towns and villages and as Palestinians have staged numerous attacks against Israelis.
At least 88 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire this year, according to an Associated Press tally. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed 15 people in the same period.