Clashes in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque..Dozens injured

152 people were injured, on Friday morning, in clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli police in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, according to ambulances.

An official in the Palestinian Red Crescent told AFP: “152 wounded were taken to hospitals” in Jerusalem, while “dozens” were treated in the place.

For its part, the Israeli police indicated that 3 of its members were wounded.

Israeli security forces entered Jerusalem’s Haram al-Sharif before dawn, where thousands of Palestinians had gathered for prayers during the month of Ramadan, which led to clashes.

Israel stated that its forces moved in to remove stones that had been collected in anticipation of violence.

The clashes come at a particularly sensitive time. Ramadan this year coincides with Passover, a major week-long Jewish holiday that begins on Friday at sunset, and the Christian holy week, which ends with Easter.

Videos circulating online showed Palestinians throwing stones and police firing tear gas and sound bombs into the sprawling plaza surrounding the mosque.

Other recordings showed worshipers holed up inside the mosque itself amid what appeared to be clouds of tear gas.

The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service stated that it had transferred 152 people to hospitals who were injured by rubber bullets, sound bombs, or hit with batons.

For its part, the Israeli police said that three of its members were wounded by “intensive stone throwing”, while two were evacuated from the scene for treatment.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that dozens of masked men carrying the Palestinian flag walked into the compound at dawn on Friday and collected stones.

“Police were forced to enter the site to disperse the crowd and remove the stones in order to prevent further violence,” she wrote on Twitter.

Police said they waited until prayers were over and the crowds began to disperse.

It said in a statement that the crowds began throwing stones in the direction of the Western Wall, forcing them to move. They said that they did not enter the mosque itself, while the Palestinians view any large police presence in Al-Aqsa as a major provocation.

Tensions in recent weeks

Tensions escalated in recent weeks after a series of attacks by Palestinians killed 14 people inside Israel, and Israel carried out a wave of arrests and military operations across the occupied West Bank, which led to clashes with Palestinians.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that a 17-year-old man died at dawn Friday, as a result of injuries he sustained during clashes with Israeli forces in Jenin in the occupied West Bank the previous day.

At least 25 Palestinians were killed in the latest wave of violence, according to Associated Press counts, many of whom carried out attacks or participated in the clashes, but also an unarmed woman and a lawyer were apparently killed in error.