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Israeli police attack worshipers at Al-Aqsa, rockets fired from Gaza
Updated 14:18, 05-Apr-2023
CGTN

The Israel Defense Forces said nine projectiles were launched from Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning and four of them were intercepted following clashes inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in East Jerusalem, The Times of Israel reported.

No injuries were caused but a factory in Israel's Sderot was damaged by a rocket, which the Israeli forces said was fired by Hamas from the Palestinian enclave.

The rocket fire came hours after clashes at the Temple Mount, which took place amid heightened tensions at Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan and the start of Passover.

Israeli police said they entered the mosque after youths barricaded themselves inside the mosque with fireworks, sticks and stones. Videos circulating on social media showed fireworks going off and police beating people inside the mosque.

"When the police entered, stones were thrown at them and fireworks were fired from inside the mosque by a large group of agitators," police said in a statement, adding that a police officer was wounded in the leg.

Israeli police arrested more than 350 people early on Wednesday after the clashes, a police spokesperson said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said seven Palestinians sustained wounds from rubber tipped bullets and beatings in clashes.

Palestinian groups condemned Israel's attacks on worshipers. Jordan and Egypt, both involved in recent U.S.-backed efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestine, issued separate statements condemning the incident.

(With input from Reuters)

(Cover: A view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, April 5, 2023. /CFP)

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