More than 40 Palestinians were injured in renewed clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday when Israeli police entered the compound and fired rubber bullets to remove Palestinian youth throwing stones and fireworks, according to Israeli police and videos of the events, in the latest episode of violence since fighting between the two sides broke out two weeks ago.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said they were forced to enter the compound in Jerusalem’s Old City to “enable worshipers to leave safely” after rioters in the early morning threw stones and set off fireworks within the compound, including toward a gate that leads to the Western Wall, where Jewish worshippers pray.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said 22 Palestinians were taken to the hospital, while at least 42 in total were wounded in the fighting at the compound, viewed as sacred to both Jews and Muslims, after police fired rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades.
In a statement, Israeli police said they had arrested three people for throwing stones and inciting a mob, and pledged to “continue to act decisively against rioters” for “public safety and security.”
The clash comes after the fighting—which first began two weeks ago when Israeli police similarly entered the mosque to disperse rioters—had ceased this week following the end of Passover and after Israel ended Jewish visits to the area during the last days of Ramadan, according to the Guardian.
Clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians broke out at the mosque two weeks ago during the rare convergence of Passover and Ramadan. Since then, Israeli police have entered the mosque compound several times, once in full riot gear, to break up rioters. Almost 300 Palestinians have been injured since the fighting started at Al-Aqsa two weeks ago, according to Al Jazeera, while several Israeli police officers have been injured as well. The fighting at the Jerusalem holy site comes after a wave of deadly attacks carried out by Palestinians and after Israel stepped up military operations in occupied territories in response, also killing Palestinians. Israel’s air force and Palestinian militants have also traded fire in some of the worst fighting between the two sides in a year. The violence has sparked fears of a repeat of an 11-day war that took place between Hamas and Israel the same time last year and that led to hundreds of deaths and destruction.