Al-Aqsa mosque: Dozens wounded in Jerusalem clashes

  08 May 2021    Read: 1814
Al-Aqsa mosque: Dozens wounded in Jerusalem clashes

At least 163 Palestinians and six Israeli police officers have been hurt in clashes in Jerusalem, Palestinian medics and Israeli police say.

Most were injured at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Israeli police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades as Palestinians threw stones and bottles.

Tensions have been rising over the potential eviction of Palestinians from land claimed by Jewish settlers.

The Red Crescent has opened a field hospital to treat the wounded.

The Al-Aqsa mosque complex in Jerusalem's Old City is one of Islam's most revered locations, but is also a Jewish holy site, known as the Temple Mount.

The site is a frequent flashpoint for violence, which unfolded again on Friday night after thousands had gathered there to observe the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Israeli Police said they had used force to "restore order" due to the "rioting of thousands of worshippers" after evening prayers.

An Aqsa official called for calm over the mosque's loudspeakers. "Police must immediately stop firing stun grenades at worshippers, and the youth must calm down and be quiet!", Reuters news agency quoted them as saying.

The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said 88 of the injured Palestinians were taken to hospital after they were hit with rubber-coated metal bullets. Police said some of the six officers injured needed medical treatment.

 


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