Israeli forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque and targeted Palestinians worshipping inside the mosque for the second time on Wednesday.
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Israeli police stormed the mosque after Tarawih prayers and attacked worshippers with batons and rubber bullets, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported. The police tried to remove worshippers and also threw stun grenades after they resisted, the report said.
The Israeli army also set off air raid sirens Wednesday in settlements adjacent to the Gaza Strip following reports of rockets launching from the enclave, according to officials.
After the end of the prayer, clashes erupted between the Israeli police and worshippers they tried to remove from inside the Al-Qibli Masjid. The Israeli police intervened with rubber-coated bullets and sound bombs against the worshippers who took shelter in the Al-Qibli Masjid.
In addition, the Israeli police intervened with batons against those protesting the raid in the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard.
The Israeli army said two projectiles were fired from Gaza late Wednesday.
It added, however, that one failed to cross into Israel and the other landed in an open area near the fence with Gaza.
There were no reports of property damage or human injuries.
The development came as Israeli forces stormed the Al-Qibli Prayer Hall in the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem and forcibly removed Palestinian worshippers.
The Israeli police detained around 350 worshippers from inside the flashpoint site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.
However, witnesses put the number at over 500, who were arrested and taken in for questioning, according to Reuters.
The incident, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and on the eve of the Jewish Passover, came amid fears that tensions built up during a year of escalating violence could be unleashed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where clashes in 2021 set off a 10-day war in Gaza.
