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Israel police clash with worshippers at al-Aqsa mosque Israel police clash with worshippers at al-Aqsa mosque
(about 2 hours later)
Reports of dozens injured in Jerusalem early on Wednesday after raid that police say was sparked by rioting Reports that hundreds were arrested and several injured 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. Israeli police entered Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound before dawn on Wednesday and clashed with worshippers, in what police said was a response to rioting that set off a furious reaction across the West Bank and cross border strikes in Gaza.
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. At least nine rockets were later fired from Gaza, prompting airstrikes from Israel, which struck what it said were Hamas training camps, setting off ground-shaking explosions that were heard across the blockaded coastal strip.
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. Witnesses said Israeli tanks also shelled Hamas positions along the border fence in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
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. The Palestinian Red Crescent said 12 Palestinians sustained wounds from rubber-tipped bullets and beatings in clashes with Israeli police at al-Aqsa. It added that Israeli forces were preventing its medics from reaching the area.
Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned the al-Aqsa clashes, while Egypt called for an immediate halt to Israel’s “blatant assault on worshippers”. “In the yard to the eastern part of the compound, the police fired teargas and stun grenades, it was a scene that I can’t describe,” said Fahmi Abbas, a worshipper at the mosque. “Then they stormed in and started beating everyone. They detained people and put the young men face down on the ground while they continued beating them.”
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. Israeli police said in a statement that security units were forced to enter the compound after what it called masked agitators locked themselves inside the mosque with fireworks, sticks and stones.
Later in the morning Israeli planes struck Gaza, after rocket fire from the enclave. Hamas Radio said the Israeli strikes hit two training camps, one in Gaza City and another in a refugee camp. “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.
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. Palestinian lawyer Firas al-Jibrini said police arrested about 500 people who were taken for questioning.
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”. The incident drew a sharp reaction from Arab countries. Jordan and Egypt, both involved in recent US-backed efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, issued separate statements strongly condemning the incident, while Saudi Arabia, with whom Israel hopes to normalise ties, said Israel’s “storming” of Al-Aqsa undermined peace efforts.
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 Palestinian leadership condemned Israel’s attacks on 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.
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.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.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.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.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.
Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report