Dozens of Palestinian youths clashed with police inside the Aqsa Mosque early Thursday, resuming clashes from the previous night, which then sparked altercations across the country later in the day.
Groups of young Palestinian men, some of them masked, threw fireworks and stones at the police officers and attempted to barricade themselves in the mosque, shutting its doors and preventing other worshipers from leaving the area, according to a police spokesperson.
The al-Aqsa compound was cleared
The police prevented the barricading and enabled worshipers to exit. Shortly before midnight Wednesday, the compound was cleared completely by police.
Six people were injured in the clashes, according to Walla, citing the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Following the clashes on the Temple Mount, further clashes erupted in Jerusalem’s Old City. A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was lightly wounded after he was shot by an Israeli resident of the Old City, according to Palestinian media. Israel Police confirmed that a minor had been shot after threatening a man with a stick. The minor was lightly wounded, while the shooter, who has a gun permit, was taken into police custody for questioning.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry issued a statement in response to the clashes, which stated that it condemns Israel Police’s repeated breaking “into the mosque and its forcible removal of worshipers from it.”
The ministry also stated that “the continued attacks of the occupation police against the worshipers and the attempts to harm the existing status quo in al-Aqsa are a dangerous escalation and a violation of international law. Israel is responsible for this situation and its consequences.”
"The continued attacks of the occupation police against the worshipers and the attempts to harm the existing status quo in al-Aqsa are a dangerous escalation and a violation of international law. Israel is responsible for this situation and its consequences."
Jordanian Foreign Ministry
Because of the repeated clashes in al-Aqsa mosque, demonstrations and violent clashes with the police broke out in multiple cities across the country, including in Haifa, Arrabe, Reine, Baka al-Gharbiya and Umm el-Fahm in the Galilee, according to Ynet.
במחאה על האירועים בהר הבית: הפגנה נערכת באום אל פחם, נרשמו מספר עימותים בין שוטרים לבין מפגינים שניסו להגיע לכביש 65@CBeyar pic.twitter.com/v15NhaUX3x
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) April 5, 2023
Protests in Umm el-Fahm led to riots, including throwing of fireworks and stones near Highway 65, as well as the burning of tires. A police detective force was forced to fire into the air to escape the scene, according to a police statement.
Five minors were arrested for rioting and throwing stones at police officers.
Palestinian media reported additional clashes in different neighborhoods in Jerusalem and towns in the West Bank, including in refugee camps near Hebron and Jericho.
Israeli forces used tear gas against rioters at the border to the Gaza Strip, and explosions were heard, according to KAN. Demonstrations in support of al-Aqsa were also held in Beit Hanun and Khan Yunis.