Israeli police attacked Palestinian protesters and journalists on the Temple Mount, leaving at least 152 injured from riot munitions, the Red Crescent reported.
Israeli forces began targeting Palestinian protesters at the al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday. According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), the police raid was carried out after Palestinians set up wooden barriers at the site and some firecrackers were thrown.
“Young men prepared wooden roadblocks around the al-Qibli prayer hall in anticipation of a possible Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raid,” the PCHR said. “They fired firecrackers towards al-Magharba gate, where IOF was stationed. Immediately, IOF raided the entire Mosque with hundreds of troops; the soldiers started shooting live bullets, tear gas canisters and stun grenades aggressively and randomly. As a result, dozens of worshipers and gathered civilians were wounded.”
Writing for the Electronic Intifada, Maureen Clare Murphy has compiled a series of videos showing Israeli forces using stun grenades and clubs, firing “non-lethal” rounds and destroying stained glass windows in the prayer hall. She reports that medical teams were prevented from accessing the Temple Mount to treat the wounded.
According to human rights groups, over 150 Palestinians were injured; PCHR says six are in critical condition. A guard was also struck in the eye with a rubber bullet, Al Jazeera reported, noting that at least 300 Palestinians were arrested on Friday.
Israeli police entered the religious site again on Sunday and faced down Palestinians who set up a stone barrier. Israel claims some threw stones at officers, and 18 were arrested in total.
At the King Faisal Gate, Haaretz published a video showing police beating a man in front of his young son. After the Palestinians were removed, Jewish tourists were allowed to access the site.
Haaretz reports three journalists were among those beaten by Israeli forces over the weekend. Alaa Sous had her left arm broken by a club, and Rami Khatib had his right arm broken after being repeatedly struck with batons. So far, none of the Israeli officers involved have faced charges.
The violence at the Temple Mount came amid heightened tensions across Israel and the occupied territories. A cycle of Palestinian attacks and Israel raids has claimed several lives in the past month, and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has called on residents to arm themselves.
On Sunday, Bennett likely rubber-stamped another escalation in violence after declaring Israeli forces have “free rein” to continue operations to maintain “security.”
