Police attack worshipers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, 11 Palestinians injured
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Several Palestinians were injured in clashes between Israeli police and worshipers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on Friday.
According to an AFP photographer present at the scene, Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and fired tear gas and rubber bullets at Palestinians throwing stones.
Recent tensions between Palestinians and Israelis have been fueled by the coincidence of the Jewish holiday of Passover and the holy month of Islam, Ramadan.
Israeli police accused the Palestinians of throwing stones at the western wall, after which police dispersed the crowd.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, 11 Palestinians were taken to hospital, two of them in critical condition.
It should be noted that since last week, more than 200 people have been injured in the clashes around Al-Aqsa Mosque in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. The vast majority of these people are Palestinians.
Palestinian militant groups have responded by firing rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip, while Israel has retaliated with air strikes on Gaza.
The international community is concerned that recent events could lead to a return to last year's situation when the 11-day war finally broke out.
A rocket fired from Gaza landed in the garden of a house in southern Israel on Thursday, and Israel bombed central Gaza.
The Israeli military says it has targeted a rocket factory, while Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said it would "continue its fight against Israeli aggression."
At least 14 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in attacks by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs in Israel since late March, according to AFP. On the other hand, 23 Palestinians have been killed since March 22.
"We are deeply concerned about the escalating violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and in Israel over the past month," said Rowena Shamsani, a spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
"There must be an immediate, independent, impartial and transparent investigation into the use of force by the Israeli police, which has resulted in a large number of worshipers and members of the Al-Aqsa Mosque being injured," he said.
The spokesman added that the attitude of the Israeli security forces on April 15, as seen in several videos, "raises serious concerns that the use of force was unnecessary, indiscriminate and widespread."
It should be noted that last Friday, 150 Palestinians were injured in a clash with the Israeli police in the premises of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel's actions on the ground, saying it held Israel "completely and directly responsible for the crime and its consequences."
Israeli police said they attacked him with stones, firecrackers and other items, after which he entered the mosque compound.
A delegation of top US officials later met separately with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.
During the meeting in Ramallah, the Palestinian president told US officials that the United States should "immediately intervene" because "there is an urgent need to stop Israeli aggression."
Mahmoud Abbas added that "legal and historical status" should be maintained in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Status refers to an agreement under which Jews can go to the Western Wall in certain cases but cannot worship there.
However, in the days of the passover, the number of Jews who go there increases, which the Palestinians consider to be against the status quo and provocative.
After meeting with US officials, Yair Lapid tweeted: "We talked about Israel's efforts at difficult times to maintain status on Temple Mount."
"Israel has stopped the Jewish extremists who are stirring up tensions in Jerusalem," he added.
He urged the "Muslim moderates" to do the same.