Israeli police fire tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinian protesters on Temple Mount

Israeli police fire tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinian protesters on Temple Mount in third day of clashes amid soaring tensions over planned evictions from Arab homes in Jerusalem

  • Israeli police fired tear gas at Palestinian protesters inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday
  • Police said that protesters hurled stones from the mosque, which is on Temple Mount in the Old City
  • The area is the spiritual epicentre of the dispute between Israel and Palestine over who Jerusalem belongs to
  • A march by Israeli nationalists through the Muslim Quarter, an annual event, is set to go ahead today
  • Comes amid soaring tensions over Israel’s planned evictions of an Arab neighbourhood close to the Old City 

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Israeli police fired tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinian protesters on Temple Mount today amid soaring tensions over planned evictions of an Arab neighbourhood in Jerusalem.

Protesters hurled stones at officers from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as riot police moved in to quell the unrest following a weekend of clashes in the Old City that left at least 300 demonstrators wounded.

Dozens were injured in Monday’s violence, with bleeding casualties seen being shuttled away from the ancient site on stretchers as others ran in terror from the police.

Firas Dibs, a spokesman for the Islamic authority managing the site, said dozens of people were hurt. The Palestinian Red Crescent said three people were taken to the hospital.

Palestinian protesters run for cover from tear gas fired by Israeli security forces amid clashes at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound on May 10, 2021, ahead of a planned march to commemorate Israel’s takeover of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War

Israeli security forces detain a Palestinian protester amid clashes at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City

Israeli security forces detain a Palestinian protester amid clashes at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City

Palestinian medics evacuate a wounded protester amid clashes with Israeli security forces at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound

Palestinian medics evacuate a wounded protester amid clashes with Israeli security forces at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound

Israeli security forces clash with Palestinian protesters at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound

Israeli security forces clash with Palestinian protesters at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound

A member of Israeli police aims a weapon during clashes with Palestinians at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque

A member of Israeli police aims a weapon during clashes with Palestinians at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque

Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli security forces at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound on May 10

Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli security forces at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound on May 10

 

The site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is considered the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam.

The compound is the epicentre of the conflict and has been the trigger for rounds of Israel-Palestinian violence in the past.

The UN Security Council has scheduled closed consultations on the soaring tensions in Jerusalem. Diplomats said the meeting was requested by Tunisia, the Arab representative on the council.

Earlier, police barred Jews from visiting the Al-Aqsa compound on Monday, which Israelis mark as Jerusalem Day with a flag-waving parade through the Old City and its Muslim Quarter. The marchers celebrate Israel’s capture and annexation of east Jerusalem in 1967.

The police decision to ban Jewish visitors temporarily from the holy site came hours before the start of the Jerusalem Day march which is widely perceived by Palestinians as a provocative display of Jewish hegemony over the contested city.

Police have allowed the parade to take place despite growing concerns that it could further inflame the tension.

This year the march coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a time of heightened religious sensitivities.