Israeli troops target worshippers in Al Aqsa Mosque attack, scores injured

Israeli troops have fired tear gas and stun grenades at worshippers inside Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, local media reported and witnesses said. 

The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said on Friday it treated 152 people, many of them wounded by rubber-coated bullets or stun grenades, or beaten with batons.

Videos shared by Palestinians on social media showed Israeli troops storming the mosque as worshippers gathered for early morning prayers.

The storming of Islam's third holiest site sparked violent clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinians. 

The escalation of violence comes during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and ahead of the start of the Jewish festival of Passover, an overlap that can heighten tensions around sacred sites in Jerusalem's Old City.

Jordan and Palestine called the ongoing escalation at the holy site “dangerous” and urged Israel to stop all its “illegal and provocative” measures.

Türkiye's Foreign Ministry also condemned the attacks targeting worshippers in the holy site. 

"We are deeply concerned about the increasing tensions in the region in recent days."

"We would like to emphasise once again the importance of not allowing provocations and threats against the status and spirituality of Al Aqsa Mosque, especially in this sensitive period," it said. 

Türkiye also condemned the killing of seven Palestinians by Israeli forces in the last few days. 

Last year, similar violence by the Israeli troops and illegal settlers at the Al Aqsa Mosque set off a devastating 11-day Israeli assault on besieged Gaza that killed more than 250 Palestinians in Gaza and 13 people in Israel.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in a move never recognised by the international community. 

Some 700,000 Jewish settlers now live in both areas, in settlements regarded as illegal under international law.

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