Jerusalem:
A clash broke out between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police on Friday morning in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, doctors and eyewitnesses said.
A member of the Palestinian Red Crescent told AFP: “Seven wounded were taken to hospital for treatment for upper body injuries.”
Witnesses said Palestinian protesters pelted stones at Israeli security forces, who fired rubber bullets at some protesters.
Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam. Jews refer to it as the Temple Mount, referring to two temples said to have stood there since ancient times. The complex, which is situated in Israel-controlled East Jerusalem is at the center of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
During Ramadan last year, clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians who visited the mosque complex led to 11 days of devastating conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip’s Islamic ruler Hamas.
Ahead of Ramadan this year, Israel and Jordan, which act as custodians of holy places in East Jerusalem, have intensified talks in an effort to avoid similar violence.
Friday’s clashes come after three weeks of violence and escalating tensions in the Jewish state.
Israel has been stunned by a number of attacks – some by Israeli Arab citizens affiliated with or inspired by the Islamic State group, others by Palestinians, and by terrorist groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
A total of 14 people have been killed in four attacks since March 22, including a shooting in Bnei Brak, an Orthodox Jewish town in greater Tel Aviv, by a Palestinian bomber from Jenin.
Twenty-one Palestinians were killed in that attack, with attackers targeting Israelis, according to an AFP tally.
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