Israeli police injure dozens of Palestinians in Jerusalem

The bangs of stun grenades reverberated at the edge of the Old City in latest night of violence

A Palestinian man prays as Israeli police gather during clashes at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City, on Friday, May 7, 2021. Reuters

Israeli security forces advance during clashes with Palestinian protesters at the compound that includes Al Aqsa Mosque, in Jerusalem, on Friday, May 7, 2021. AFP

Tear gas billows amid clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters near Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, on May 7, 2021. AFP

Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters clash near Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, on May 7, 2021. AFP

Palestinians react as Israeli police fire stun grenades during clashes at the Jerusalem compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque, on May 7, 2021. Reuters

Elite Israeli forces conduct a search in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, after clashes between police and Palestinian protesters nearby on Friday, May 7, 2021. AP

Israeli police use a water cannon to disperse Palestinian protesters from the area near the Damascus Gate to the Old City of Jerusalem on Friday, May 7. AP

An Israeli police officer stands guard at the Damascus Gate to the Old City of Jerusalem after clashes near Al Aqsa Mosque on Friday, May 7, 2021. AP

Israeli police gather during clashes with Palestinians near Al Aqsa Mosque, in Jerusalem’s Old City, on May 7, 2021, amid tension over the possible eviction of several Palestinian families from homes on land claimed by Jewish settlers in Sheikh Jarrah. Reuters

Elite Israeli forces stand near the Damascus Gate to the Old City of Jerusalem after clashes near Al Aqsa Mosque, on Friday, May 7, 2021. AP

Israeli police detain a Palestinian youth at the Damascus Gate to the Old City of Jerusalem after clashes near Al Aqsa Mosque on Friday, May 7, 2021. AP

A Palestinian man prays as Israeli police gather during clashes at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem, amid tension over the possible eviction of several Palestinian families from homes in the nearby Sheikh Jarrah district, on May 7, 2021. Reuters

At least 80 people were injured on Saturday in clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police around Jerusalem, as Muslims at Al Aqsa Mosque marked the holy night Laylat Al Qadr.
Medics treated people hit by rubber bullets, hurt by stun grenades, or beaten, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said, following international condemnation over a surge in violence in Jerusalem.

"Those injured include several children under 18, among them a one-year-old child and a paramedic," said the organisation.
The bangs of stun grenades reverberated at the edge of the Old City, where heavily armed police on foot and horseback chased young Palestinians away from Damascus Gate.
Those demonstrating responded by lighting fires in the street and hurling stones and plastic bottles at officers.

After a police lorry squirted foul-spraying liquid across the area, shopkeepers tried in vain to wash away the stench while in the Old City someone handed out masks to passers-by.
Police said riots had taken place and that they would "continue to act decisively against lawbreakers".

Damascus Gate has been hit by near-nightly protests during Ramadan, initially after Israeli authorities prevented people from gathering in the adjacent plaza. Although tensions temporarily eased after the barriers were removed, the situation has deteriorated significantly in recent days.
The latest unrest comes a night after clashes between Israeli security forces and worshippers at Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.
About 215 Palestinians and 18 police officers were injured across occupied East Jerusalem, in the worst night of violence in the city this Ramadan.
Israeli police said hundreds of people threw stones and other objects at officers at the mosque compound, where tens of thousands of worshippers had gathered.

The EU, Russia, UN and EU, which make up the Middle East Quartet, expressed deep concern over the violence.
"We call upon Israeli authorities to exercise restraint and to avoid measures that would further escalate the situation during this period of Muslim holy days," the Quartet said.
UAE Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Almarar expressed the country's "strong condemnation of the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque".
Gaza rulers Hamas have warned Israel over its actions in Jerusalem. In the early hours of Sunday, the Israeli military said a rocket had been fired from the coastal Palestinian enclave.

Prayers proceeded in relative calm at Al Aqsa on Saturday evening, the most sacred night during Ramadan.

Earlier on Saturday, Israeli police closed the main highway into Jerusalem and said officers were removing passengers they suspected of wanting to stoke violence in the city. Some of those travelling to Al Aqsa abandoned their vehicles and began to walk.

Beyond the Old City, there were further confrontations between Palestinians and police in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood. Protests have gathered pace there in recent weeks as dozens of residents have been served eviction orders, which could see Israeli settlers soon moving into their homes.

The supreme court could rule as early as Monday on whether to hear an appeal by the residents. Tensions in the city are expected to be high that day, as Israel celebrates its 1967 takeover of East Jerusalem.