Israeli police raided Jerusalem`s Al-Aqsa mosque earlier than sunrise on Wednesday to attempt to clean organizations it stated had been barricaded inner, main to clashes with worshippers and triggering an change of crossborder hearthplace with Gaza. The incident got here for the duration of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and at the eve of the Jewish Passover, stoking fears of similarly violence on the mosque compound, a flashpoint withinside the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestinian militants fired as a minimum 9 rockets from Gaza into Israel, prompting air moves from Israel which hit what it stated had been weapon manufacturing webweb sites for the Islamist organization Hamas, which controls the blockaded coastal enclave. Hamas did now no longer declare duty for the rocket assaults however stated they had been a reaction to the raid on Al-Aqsa, in which clashes in 2021 activate a 10-day battle with Gaza.

Ground-shaking explosions from the airstrikes rocked Gaza. Witnesses stated Israeli tanks additionally shelled Hamas positions. “We aren’t interested by an escalation however we’re equipped for any scenario,” Israeli navy spokesman Daniel Hagari stated.

The Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, is Islam’s 0.33 holiest webweb page and tens of heaps come to hope there for the duration of Ramadan. It is likewise Judaism’s maximum sacred webweb page, respected as Temple Mount, a vestige of the 2 biblical Jewish temples.

The Palestinian Red Crescent stated 12 Palestinians had sustained accidents for the duration of the raid, along with from rubber-tipped bullets and beatings, in clashes with police. It stated Israeli forces had averted its medics from attaining the area.

“In the backyard to the jap a part of the compound, the police fired tear fueloline and stun grenades,” stated Fahmi Abbas, a worshipper who turned into on the mosque while the raid occurred. “Then they stormed in and began out beating everyone.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the state of affairs were prompted with the aid of using “extremists” who barricaded themselves in the mosque with guns, stones and fireworks.

“Israel is devoted to retaining freedom of worship , loose get admission to to all religions and the popularity quo at the Temple Mount and could now no longer permit violent extremists to alternate that,” he stated in a announcement.

STUN GRENADES

Videos circulating on social media, which Reuters couldn’t independently verify, confirmed fireworks going off and police beating humans inner one of the mosque buildings. Police video confirmed police getting into the constructing at the same time as hearthplace crackers exploded withinside the darkness. “I turned into sitting on a chair reciting (the Koran),” an aged girl instructed Reuters outdoor the mosque, suffering to trap her breath. “They hurled stun grenades, one in all them hit my chest,” she stated, crying.

Israeli police stated officials entered the compound after what it known as masked agitators locked themselves in the mosque and after tries to get rid of them with the aid of using talk failed. More than 350 humans inner had been arrested and eliminated from the compound, police stated.

“Throughout the presence of police forces withinside the compound, stones had been thrown and more than one firecrackers had been activate in the mosque with the aid of using many law-breaking people and rioters,” the police announcement stated, including that officials had been wounded.

Thousands of worshippers were spending the night time withinside the mosque compound amid fears of viable clashes with Jewish site visitors to the webweb page for Passover. Under a longstanding “popularity quo” association governing the compound, non-Muslims can go to however handiest Muslims are allowed to worship. Some Jewish site visitors have more and more more prayed there no matter that association.

The Waqf, the Jordanian-appointed Islamic agency that manages the complex, defined the police moves as a “flagrant attack at the identification and the feature of the mosque as an area of worship for Muslims alone”.

CONDEMNATION

“Leaders on all aspects ought to act responsibly and chorus from steps that would strengthen tensions,” stated the U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland. The United States stated it turned into alarmed with the aid of using the violence. The Arab League condemned Israel’s “extremist approach” and stated it might preserve an emergency assembly on Wednesday.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China requested the 15-member United Nations Security Council to talk about the state of affairs at the back of closed-doorways on Thursday, stated diplomats. The UAE’s overseas ministry additionally stated “worshippers need to now no longer barricade themselves in the mosque and locations of worship with guns and explosives”.

Jordan and Egypt, each concerned in latest U.S.-subsidized efforts to de-strengthen Israel-Palestinian tensions, issued separate statements condemning the incident. Saudi Arabia, with which Israel hopes to normalise ties, stated Israel’s “storming” of Al-Aqsa undermined peace efforts.

“Israel’s aggression towards the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound is an egregious attack at the fundamental proper of Palestinians to worship freely of their holy webweb page,” the Palestinian overseas ministry stated in a announcement.

With Israel nevertheless reeling from weeks of protests over Netanyahu’s plans to rein withinside the powers of the Supreme Court, the incident introduced to an already fevered political atmosphere.

Far-proper National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has duty for the police however now no longer the armed forces, known as for a harsh reaction from Israel.

“Hamas rockets require extra than blasting dunes and empty webweb sites. It’s time to tear heads off in Gaza,” he stated in a tweet.

In the West Bank city of Beit Ummar, protesters burned tyres and threw rocks and explosive gadgets at Israeli soldiers, one in all whom turned into shot and wounded. Separately, a gunman opened hearthplace on an navy checkpoint among Jerusalem and Bethlehem with out inflicting any casualties.