BREAKING: Clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a major holy site in Jerusalem, have wounded at least 20 Palestinians. It was not immediately clear what sparked the violence.
The Islamic endowment that administers the site said Israeli police entered in force before dawn, as thousands of worshippers were gathered at the mosque for early morning prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. Israel said its forces entered to remove rocks and stones that had been gathered in anticipation of violence.
The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said it evacuated 59 wounded people to hospitals. The endowment said one of the guards at the site was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet.The Israeli Foreign Ministry said dozens of masked men carrying Palestinian and Hamas flags marched to the compound early Friday and gathered stones.
The mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. It is built on a hilltop that is the most sacred site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. It has been a major flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence for decades. Israel had lifted restrictions and taken other steps to try and calm tensions ahead of Ramadan, which this year coincides with the Jewish Passover holiday and Christian holy week, brining thousands of pilgrims and other visitors to Jerusalem.Earlier this week, Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza had called on Palestinians to camp out at the Al-Aqsa mosque over the weekend. Palestinians have long feared that Israel plans to take over the site or partition it.
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