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(CNN) Israeli police clashed with Palestinians inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City early Wednesday, days after a Palestinian man was killed outside the Holy Land.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Jerusalem said at least seven people were injured in clashes outside the walls of the mosque, with at least two of the injured being taken to hospital with injuries from rubber bullets and assaults.
A video tweeted by the head of the Palestinian delegation to the UK, Hussam Zomrot, shows unrest and violence inside the mosque.
In a statement, Israeli police said troops entered the mosque after “some law-breaking youths and masked agitators brought fireworks, sticks and stones into the mosque.”
“As police entered, stones were thrown at them and fireworks were set off from inside the mosque by a large group of agitators,” the statement said. Israeli police also released a video of troops breaking in and fireworks exploding.
“These agitators stepped up it hours after the Taraweeh prayer to disrupt public order and desecrate mosques,” the statement said.
“Furthermore, they began chanting sedition and violence inside the mosque, setting up barriers and fortifications at the entrance and locking the door from the inside.”
The statement added that “rioters” were detained and one Israeli police officer was injured with a stone in the leg.
The incident occurred in the middle of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and has seen hundreds of thousands of worshipers praying at Al-Aqsa. Jews will celebrate the Passover on Wednesday night.
This provoked condemnation from Palestinian leaders and other Arab countries.In a statement Wednesday, the Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh condemned the actions of the Israeli police, saying “what is happening in Jerusalem is a serious crime against worshipers”.
“Israel does not want to learn from history that al-Aqsa was for Palestinians, all Arabs and Muslims, and that storming it sparked a revolution against the occupation,” added Shtayeh. .
Hamas, the militant group that runs Gaza, called the clashes an “unprecedented crime”, according to Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political bureau chief.
Jordan’s foreign ministry also condemned the actions of the Israeli police “in the strongest terms” and called on Israel to immediately withdraw its troops from the mosque. “The attack on the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and its attack on worshipers is a flagrant violation,” the statement said, citing the ministry’s official spokesperson, Sinan Al-Majari.
The Hashemite monarchy of Jordan has been the custodian of the Holy Land of Jerusalem since 1924 and considers itself the guarantor of the religious rights of Muslims and Christians in the city.
The complex of mosques that often spark tensions is home to one of Islam’s most revered sites, as well as Judaism’s holiest site, known as the Temple Mount.
It has now reopened for dawn prayers, and some worshipers are allowed in.
The clashes came days after a Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli police at the entrance to a mosque on Saturday. chanted.
gaza rocket
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Wednesday that nine rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel.
“Five rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory following previous reports of sirens sounding in Sderot,” the IDF said. “Four of them were intercepted by air defense arrays.”
The IDF also said four additional rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, but landed in the open.
“After additional sirens sounded around the Gaza Strip, four rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip and landed in the open. No interceptors were launched as per protocol,” the IDF added.
Later on Wednesday, the Israeli military said its fighter jets struck weapons manufacturing and storage sites in the Gaza Strip belonging to Hamas.
“This attack was carried out in response to rockets previously fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory,” the statement said.
Last year was the deadliest in almost two decades for both Palestinians and Israelis in the occupied West Bank, according to a CNN analysis of official statistics from both sides.
And this year also saw a violent beginning. At least 90 Palestinians have died, according to Palestinian Ministry of Health statistics. In addition to suspected insurgents being targeted by the Israeli military, Palestinians have killed, injured, or attempted to kill Israeli civilians and clashed with Israeli security forces, according to CNN records. , is a bystander.
At least 15 Israelis were killed in attacks by Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank during the same period, CNN records show. 14 civilians and police officers were hit by a friendly fire after being stabbed by a Palestinian teenager while inspecting a bus. passenger.
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