Two more rockets were fired late Wednesday from the Israel-blockaded Gaza Strip towards Israel, the army and witnesses said, and fresh altercations broke out at Al-Aqsa mosque during the Jewish Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Armed police in riot gear stormed the prayer hall of Al-Aqsa mosque before dawn Wednesday, aiming to dislodge “law-breaking youths and masked agitators” they said had barricaded themselves inside.
A barrage of rocks and fireworks met the officers, police video showed, and more than 350 people were arrested.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “shocked and appalled” by images he saw of Israeli security forces beating people at the mosque, particularly because it came at a time holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims that should be a period of peace, his spokesman said.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the United States said he was “extremely concerned by the continuing violence and we urge all sides to avoid further escalation”.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country and Israel have been rebuilding ties, said: “Trampling on the Al-Aqsa mosque is our red line.”
Read the article in The Australian (AFP).