Watch: Israel police, Palestinians clash at Al-Aqsa mosque, 117 injured

Jerusalem

Two weeks into the holy month of Ramadan, clashes broke out at a major holy site in Jerusalem the Al-Aqsa Mosque. 

As per a report by the PTI news agency, 117 Palestinians were wounded in the clashes. It is not immediately clear what caused the violence.

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Videos circulating online show Palestinians hurling rocks and police using tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun guns to try and control the people. There are also accounts of people barricading themselves inside the mosque to escape violence.

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Palestinian protestors reportedly threw stones at Israeli security forces, who responded by firing rubber bullets at some of the marchers, according to witnesses.

As per the Islamic endowment that administers the holy site police entered the mosque premises before dawn as thousands were gathered to offer prayer.

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The 117 wounded persons were taken to hospitals, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. According to the endowment, a rubber bullet hit one of the site's guards in the eye.

Israeli police said that on Friday, dozens of masked men "marched into Al-Aqsa mosque at 04:00... chanting inciting messages and setting off fireworks" and collecting "stones, wooden planks and large objects, which were then used in a violent riot".

^{Rescuers evacuate a wounded protester from inside the al-Aqsa mosque compound during clashes with Israeli security forces, on April 15, 2022. (Image:AFP)} 

"Despite these actions, police forces waited until the prayer was over," a statement said.

"Crowds then began to hurl rocks in the direction of the Western Wall... and as the violence surged, police were forced to enter the grounds surrounding the Mosque," it said, adding police "did not enter the mosque."

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Tensions in the region have recently soared following a series of attacks that led to 14 people’s demise in Israel. 

In the occupied West Bank, Israel has made a series of arrests and military operations, sparking riots in which numerous Palestinians have been murdered.

In Islam, the mosque ranks third among the holiest places. It is situated on a hilltop that is considered the holiest site for Jews, known as the Temple Mount. For decades, it has been a major flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence.

(With inputs from agencies)