Israeli police again raid Al Aqsa compound, fresh confrontation ensues

Fresh scuffles have broken out at a holy site —  sacred to Jews and Muslims  — in the occupied east Jerusalem, exacerbating the already simmering tensions between Israel and Palestine.

Israeli police entered the Al Aqsa Mosque compound on Friday firing rubber bullets and stun grenades as Palestinians threw stones at them, eyewitnesses said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent medical service said at least 27 Palestinians were wounded, two of them seriously.

Palestinians hurled stones toward police at a gate leading into the compound, according to two Palestinian witnesses who spoke on condition of anonymity out of security concerns.

According to a statement by police, people threw stones early on Friday towards the Wailing Wall, Jews' holiest prayer site that is just below the mosque.

There was no immediate comment specifically on the injuries from Israel, which is largely shut down for the end of the week-long Jewish Passover holiday.

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Tension prevails

Tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers are expected at the mosque later in the day for the main weekly prayers as they observe the holy month of Ramadan. 

The site is the third holiest in Islam. The site has long been a flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence.

The fresh incident came despite Israel temporarily halting Jewish visits, which are seen by the Palestinians as a provocation. Since 2003, Israel has allowed settlers into the compound almost daily.

Tensions have soared in recent weeks after a series of fatal attacks in Israel and deadly Israeli arrest raids across the occupied West Bank.

In the latest fatality, a 20-year-old Palestinian man who was shot by Israeli forces near the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on April 18 died of his injuries on Friday, Palestinian media reported.

Over the past week, more than 200 people, mostly Palestinians, have been wounded in clashes in and around Al Aqsa Mosque.

This has led to further escalation, with Palestinian groups allegedly firing rockets at Israel from besieged Gaza and Israel retaliating with air strikes.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al Aqsa is located, during the 1967 war. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognised by the international community.

This year, Ramadan coincided with Passover and major Christian holidays, with tens of thousands of people from all three faiths flocking to the Old City after the lifting of most coronavirus restrictions.

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