Rockets fly in Gaza after Israeli police attack worshippers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque
- Israeli police said it stormed the holy site after masked agitators locked themselves inside the mosque with fireworks
- Nine rockets were fired from Gaza, prompting air strikes from Israel, which struck what it said were Hamas training camps
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, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and on the eve of the Jewish Passover, came amid fears that tensions built up during a year of escalating violence could be unleashed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where clashes in 2021 set off a 10-day war with Gaza.
Overnight, at least nine rockets were fired from Gaza, prompting air strikes from Israel, which struck what it said were Hamas training camps, setting off ground-shaking explosions that were heard across the blockaded coastal strip.
Witnesses said Israeli tanks also shelled Hamas positions along the border fence in the southern part of the Gaza strip.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said 12 Palestinians sustained wounds from rubber-tipped bullets and beatings in clashes with Israeli police. It added that Israeli forces were preventing its doctors from reaching the area.
“In the yard to the eastern part of the compound, the police fired tear gas 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.”