The Israeli occupational troopers entered Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem during pre-dawn (Fajr) prayers as thousands of Palestinians gathered in the Jerusalem mosque for prayers, setting off clashes that wounded at least 117 Palestinians.
Israel alleged that its forces entered to remove rocks and stones that had been gathered in anticipation of violence.
Videos circulating online showed Israeli forces firing tear gas and stun grenades on the sprawling esplanade surrounding the mosque. Others showed worshippers barricading themselves inside the mosque itself amid what appeared to be clouds of tear gas.
The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said it treated 117 people, many of them wounded by rubber-coated bullets or stun grenades, or beaten with batons.
The endowment said one of the guards at the site was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet.
Tensions have soared in recent weeks following a series of attacks by Palestinians that killed 14 people inside Israel. Israel has carried out a wave of arrests and military operations across the occupied West Bank, setting off clashes with Palestinians.
ther major holy sites, in the 1967 war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. Inputs from AFP