Conflicts & War

More than 200 Palestinians injured in renewed clashes in Jerusalem

(Update 1: updates casualties, adds details)

Jerusalem, May 10 (EFE).- More than 200 Palestinians were injured in fresh clashes with Israeli security forces at one of Jerusalem’s holiest sites on Monday morning, ahead of an Israeli nationalist parade.

Israeli forces threw stun grenades, used rubber bullets and tear gas canisters to disperse Palestinians, according to local media outlets.

The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said 215 people were wounded and more than 153 were transferred to hospital after the clashes at al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount. Four of those were in a serious condition, a spokesman said.

Tensions in the region are high — the Islamist Hamas movement launched three missiles from the Gaza strip into Israeli territory early Monday after the Israeli army struck a Hamas military post late on Sunday in retaliation for a rocket attack.

The situation in Jerusalem came to a head over the weekend after three consecutive nights of rioting in the area, coinciding with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan that is set to end later this week.

Israeli forces have cordoned off areas in the Old City to prevent religious gatherings during the holy month, angering many Palestinians.

There have also been daily protests as Palestinian families are facing possible eviction from their homes in nearby Sheikh Jarrah by Israeli authorities to make way for Jewish settlers.

An Israeli Supreme Court hearing into that case slated for Monday has been postponed due to the violence.

Monday’s unrest comes as Israel marks Jerusalem Day, which commemorates the 1967 annexation of East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War.

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