Authorities at the mosque say Israeli police entered before dawn after seven Palestinians had been killed since Wednesday. Israeli police raided the Al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, with doctors saying at least 152 Palestinians had been injured in the violence. The Islamic Foundation, which manages the site, said Israeli police had been deployed before dawn on Friday as thousands of worshipers gathered at the mosque to pray early in the morning. Videos circulating on the internet show Palestinians throwing stones and police firing tear gas and stun grenades. Others showed worshipers trapped inside the mosque amidst clouds of tears. The Palestinian Red Crescent Emergency Service said it had transported most of the injured to hospitals. The legacy said one of the guards at the scene was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet. The Palestinian Red Crescent added that Israeli forces had blocked the arrival of ambulances and paramedics at the mosque, as Palestinian media reported that dozens of wounded worshipers remained trapped inside the compound. Israeli police say they have arrested at least 300 Palestinians in the latest escalation. Israeli police said they had entered the compound, the third holiest site in Islam and were honored by Jews as the Temple Mount, to disperse a “violent” crowd that remained at the end of the morning prayer. Israeli security forces say they have arrested at least 300 Palestinians in the latest escalation. [Hazem Bader/AFP] They said they came in “to disperse and repel” the crowd after a group of Palestinians began throwing stones at the nearby Jewish wall of the Western Wall. Citing the Damascus Gate, Al Jazeera’s Najwan al-Samri said Israeli police had stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque complex and attacked worshipers near the Qibly prayer hall after morning prayers. He added that the escalation came as far-right Jewish groups called for raids on the Al-Aqsa mosque complex during the Jewish Passover and offered animal sacrifices in its courtyards, something that has not happened since antiquity. Tensions have escalated in recent weeks. Israel has carried out arrests and military raids in the illegally occupied West Bank in the wake of a series of deadly Palestinian attacks inside Israel, sparking clashes in which several Palestinians have been killed, including seven since Wednesday. Tens of thousands of Palestinians are expected to gather in Al-Aqsa for Friday afternoon prayers as Muslims celebrate the holy month of Ramadan. Weeks of protests and raids on Al-Aqsa during Ramadan last year escalated into an 11-day offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip. The war has killed at least 260 Palestinians, as well as 13 Israelis, and wreaked havoc on the already impoverished region. Ramadan this year coincides with the Jewish Passover and the Christian holy week, bringing thousands of pilgrims and other visitors to Jerusalem. Far-right Jewish groups have called for raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque [Ahmad Gharabli/AFP]
