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54 Palestinians injured during clashes at Al-Aqsa

A number of Palestinian worshippers were wounded when Israeli police attacked them outside the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem

July 18, 2017 at 12:16 pm

Some 54 Palestinians have been injured and four have been arrested after Israeli occupying forces used violence to disperse worshippers from outside the Al-Aqsa compound.

Following the installation of metal detectors at the mosque gates on Sunday, Palestinians staged a sit-in; praying in the streets of the Old City in protest of the increased restrictions on their access to the Muslim holy site. Last night, Israeli police attacked worshippers as they performed the evening prayer using rubber bullets, stun grenades and batons, according to the Wafa news agency.

Four members of the Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic service were also injured while trying to treat the wounded, which included the chairman of the Palestinian National Initiative Party, Mustafa Barghouti who was shot in the head with a rubber coated bullet.

Read: Scores of Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa while Muslims left outside

This is the second time since Sunday that Palestinian worshippers have been attacked outside the compound, following the mosque authority’s call on Muslim worshippers not to enter Al-Aqsa if they have to undergo searches.

#HandsOffAlAqsa

The Fatah movement, headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, has also called for a “Day of Rage” tomorrow, encouraging Palestinians across the occupied territories to march against the “terrorist procedures” of the Israeli forces.

Twelve Palestinians were also arrested in the occupied West Bank this morning during clashes after Israeli occupation forces completed raids across the occupied Palestinian territory.