On Friday, Israeli police clashed with Palestinians for a second night in occupied East Jerusalem, amongst escalating tensions over a ban on gatherings and anger fueled by videos emerging of fights.
The latest violence came after clashes overnight on Thursday, in which the Palestinian Red Crescent stated at least 105 people were wounded, of whom approximately 20 were transferred to the hospital, while the Israeli police said 20 officers had been injured.
On Thursday, police had banded admittance to some areas where Palestinians frequently gather in large numbers during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan – flickering confrontations outside one of the entrances to the walled Old City.
Tensions were fueled by the arrival of far-right Israeli Jewish groups at the end of a march during which they harassed Palestinians and chanted “death to Arabs”.
After a calm during daylight hours on Friday, skirmishes broke out again as thousands of Muslims left Al-Aqsa Mosque after evening prayers, when they found themselves confronted by dozens of armed police, including officers on horseback.
Clashes broke out between those who left Al-Aqsa Mosque and the police, with water bottles hurled at officers who fired stun grenades to disperse the crowd.
Hundreds of Palestinians also gathered Friday at the Qalandiya crossing between Jerusalem and the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, police said.
