The overlapping of Easter and Ramadan is feared to tighten the already tense relations between the Jews and Muslims of Jerusalem.
Seven Palestinians were injured after Israeli police broke into the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount early Wednesday, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Israeli police said they entered the mosque to drive away masked rioters locked inside.
The foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan have condemned the Israeli police’s incursion into the Al-Aqsa mosque.
Hamas, which controls Gaza, has also condemned the actions of the Israeli police and called on the Palestinians of the West Bank to come together to defend the Al-Aqsa mosque.
According to the Israeli Armed Forces, at least nine rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel after the Temple Mount clash.
The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the holiest place for both Muslims and Jews. This month, it is feared that the already tense differences will tighten, as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish Easter fall at the same time.
Sources: Reuters, AFP