Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have fired dozens of rockets into Israel, which have drawn retaliatory air strikes, after nightly Ramadan clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police had resumed in Jerusalem.
The pre-dawn exchange of fire on Saturday broke months of relative quiet on the Israel-Gaza frontier, though it did not appear to signal a wider escalation after the military said it was not imposing any safety restrictions on Israelis living near the border.
In Jerusalem, Israeli-Palestinian tension has been higher than usual during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Protests turned violent on Thursday with scores of arrests and injuries.
The unrest resumed on Friday night, when Palestinian youths gathered outside the walled Old City and scuffled with hundreds of Israeli police in riot gear.
Palestinians pelted stones towards police firing water cannons. Others hurled rocks at an Israeli court building and smashed security cameras. The Palestine Red Crescent said eight Palestinians were injured.
Israeli police said the unrest later extended to a nearby Palestinian neighbourhood with Palestinians hurling fire-bombs at officers and throwing stones at Israeli vehicles and homes. Three Palestinians were arrested and four officers were injured.
In the occupied West Bank, Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops around military checkpoints near West Bank cities. Israel’s border police said it dispersed hundreds hurling stones and fire-bombs.
Read the article by Stephen Farrell in the Newcastle Herald.