JERUSALEM: Israeli police attacked dozens of worshippers in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound before dawn on Wednesday, witnesses said, in what Israeli police said was a response to rioting.
The incident sparked protests across the occupied West Bank and the Israeli military said nine rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel after sirens blared in southern towns.
Violence in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem has surged over the past year and there is concern that tensions could escalate this month, as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan coincides with Judaism's Passover and Christian Easter.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said seven Palestinians sustained wounds from rubber-tipped bullets and beatings in clashes with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. It added that Israeli forces were preventing its medics from reaching the mosque.
"I was sitting on a chair reciting (Qur'an)," an elderly woman told Reuters outside the mosque, struggling to catch her breath. "They hurled stun grenades, one of them hit my chest," she said as she began to cry.
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.
"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.
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 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.
Jordan and Egypt, both involved in recent U.S.-backed efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, issued separate statements condemning the incident.
Videos circulating on social media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed fireworks going off and police beating people inside the mosque.
The Israeli military said nine rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel, of which at least four were intercepted and four landed in open areas.
Reuters
Wed Apr 05 2023
Israeli border police detain a woman at the Al-Aqsa compound, also known to Jews as the Temple Mount, while tension arises during clashes with Palestinians in Jerusalem's Old City, April 5, 2023. - REUTERS
2 pegawai syarikat pembekalan air direman kes rasuah RM3.3 juta
Perintah reman dikeluarkan Penolong Kanan Pendaftar Puan Nurzihan Abdul Rehman di Mahkamah Majistret, di Johor Bahru, pagi Selasa.
LBS menamatkan kempennya dengan ganjaran RM1.5 juta buat 1,400 pembeli bertuah
LBS Bina Group Berhad (LBS) sebagai pemaju yang mengutamakan pelanggannya telah menamatkan kempen LBS Fabulous Extra yang berjalan sejak 2022 hingga 2023 dengan ganjaran bernilai RM1.5 juta.
Pesawah dituduh buat kenyataan menghasut di WhatsApp
Seorang pesawah mengaku tidak bersalah di Mahkamah Sesyen di sini terhadap tuduhan membuat kenyataan menghasut di menerusi aplikasi WhatsApp pada Selasa.
9 tentera terbunuh nahas helikopter di Colombia
Helikopter itu terputus hubungan dengan pangkalan pada tengah hari dan kemudian didapati terhempas berhampiran daerah Santa Rosa.
Venue Piala Thomas, Uber di Chengdu dilanda 'demam' panda
Yang paling mencuri perhatian ialah magnet peti sejuk yang menampilkan Yu Rong Rong bermain badminton.
Houthi Yaman serang dua kapal pemusnah AS
Houthi berjaya menyasarkan serangan terhadap dua kapal pemusnah AS dan kapal CYCLADES di Laut Merah serta MSC Orion di Lautan Hindi pada awal Selasa.
Ringgit rendah berbanding dolar AS pada awal dagangan
Pada 9 pagi, ringgit merosot kepada 4.7665/7710 berbanding mata wang Amerika Syarikat (AS) daripada 4.7650/7700 semalam.
Bakal jemaah haji OKU syukur dipilih jadi tetamu Allah
Abdul Samad MM Abdul Aziz, 53, yang merupakan Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU) Penglihatan bersyukur dan teruja apabila dipilih seorang daripada 31,600 jemaah haji dari Malaysia tahun ini.
Pendakwa raya ICC temu bual kakitangan hospital di Gaza
Pendakwa raya dari Mahkamah Jenayah Antarabangsa (ICC) telah menemu bual kakitangan dari dua hospital terbesar di Gaza.
Israel bimbang ICC keluar waran tangkap berkait perang Gaza
Israel menyuarakan kebimbangan bahawa Mahkamah Jenayah Antarabangsa (ICC) bersiap sedia untuk mengeluarkan waran tangkap bagi pegawainya atas tuduhan berkaitan dengan pengendalian perang terhadap Hamas.
Dilontar kepala babi: Masjid Philadelphia balas dengan jamuan
Masjid Philadelphia dilontar kepala babi minggu lalu. Atas sokongan moral semua pihak selepas insiden itu, jamuan terima kasih diadakan.