Israel Police clashed with Palestinians at a number of tense friction points in Israel, including the Temple Mount and in east Jerusalem throughout the day on Friday. Tear gas and rubber bullets were fired after rioting broke out in response to the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
A parade of hundreds of rioters waving Hamas flags passed through the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal Mukaber on Friday afternoon, turning into a violent confrontation as they threw stones and firecrackers at Israel Police forces in the area, according to a Police statement.Two suspects from the incident have been taken into police custody for assaulting officers.Earlier in the day, police forces clashed with Palestinians on the Temple Mount after hundreds of youth threw stones and Molotov cocktails at police officers. Jerusalem District police commander Doron Turgeman ordered police to enter the Temple Mount and handle the rioters near the police station, while allowing those not involved to leave the Temple Mount.
A live stream from the complex showed Palestinians surrounding police, who then fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them. Paramedics were seen operating at the scene.
Twenty-six people were arrested on Friday according to police reports: twelve of them at Temple Mount, and the remainder across east Jerusalem. At least four people were detained for possession of assault weapons. A video from outside the Temple Mount complex shows an Israel Police officer running up the stairs only to be forcefully pushed over by a rioter to cheers from the surrounding crowd.
#شاهد جندي صهيوني يركض هاربًا بين فلسطينيين بالأقصى وهذا ما حدث له. pic.twitter.com/vqYnXgUlRA
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) May 21, 2021
83 people were injured in clashes over the course of the day on Friday, according to the Red Crescent rescue service.Additional clashes broke out near the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem's Old City on Thursday evening. At the same time, a convoy of 150 cars drove past Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem. Both incidents were broken up by police officers.