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Palestinians, Israeli police clash at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa

The compound, which is also revered by Jews, is one of the biggest flashpoints in the Middle East. Israel routinely imposes age restrictions on Muslim worshippers.

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Israeli forces broke into Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Sunday morning, firing stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at Muslim worshipers as they cleared way for right-wing Jews who were visiting the compound to mark a Jewish fast day, witnesses said.

It is extremely rare for Israeli police to enter al-Aqsa Mosque.

The police said a number of officers were injured.

Sporadic clashes continued in the lanes and alleys of the Old City surrounding the mosque, with Palestinians throwing stones and bottles, lightly wounding four policemen, police said.

Jewish ultranationalists have been pushing the Israeli government to allow Jewish prayer on the compound outside al-Aqsa, which stands above the Western Wall.

Police entered the area that houses the mosque and stepped into the shrine to stop the violence, spokeswoman Luba Samri said.

It is the holiest site in Judaism.

However, the occupation forces managed to forcibly install a camera next to an Israeli police station located within the mosque and on top of the roof of the Dome of the Rock.

In Islamic belief, Al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem, is considered the third holiest place in Islam.

Bakeerat said the Jewish invasion of occupied East Jerusalem had been unstoppable, adding that Israel not only wanted to take over Arab and Muslim landscapes in the city but to also “kill and bury economic life there”.

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Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its indivisible and eternal capital, a claim not recognised internationally.

Israeli police enter Jerusalem