Dozens of worshippers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound were confronted by Israeli police early on Wednesday, according to witnesses, with authorities claiming they were responding to rioting.
The event led to protests throughout the occupied West Bank, and the Israeli military reported nine rockets fired from Gaza toward Israel following sirens in southern towns.
The past year has seen a surge in violence in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, raising concerns about potential escalation during Ramazan, which coincides with Judaism’s Passover and Christian Easter this month.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that rubber-tipped bullets and beatings injured seven Palestinians during clashes with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. It claimed that Israeli forces were preventing medics from reaching the mosque.
Israeli police stated they had to enter the compound after masked individuals barricaded themselves inside the mosque with fireworks, sticks, and stones. The statement added that a police officer was injured in the leg when stones were thrown, and agitators within the mosque set off fireworks.
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In recent years, friction at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, has ignited violence. Palestinian organizations condemned Israel’s actions against worshippers as criminal, warning against crossing red lines at holy sites, which could result in a major explosion. Jordan and Egypt, both involved in recent US-backed efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, issued separate statements denouncing the incident.
Unverified videos on social media showed fireworks being set off and police beating people inside the mosque. The Israeli military stated that nine rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel, with at least four intercepted and four landing in open areas.
