Israeli police injure at least 64 Palestinians in clash

By Hamdi Yildiz

JERUSALEM (AA) - At least 64 people were injured in the conflict between Israeli police and Palestinians early Sunday, according to the Palestine Red Crescent.

The group reported that 11 people who were injured during violent conflicts were taken to a hospital and most injuries occurred from the police's use of plastic bullets and gas bombs on Palestinians.

Police also battered protestors using physical violence, it said in a statement.

Witnesses told Anadolu Agency that an old woman was wounded in her face by a canister of a gas bomb and Israeli police took seven Palestinians into custody.

They said police used pressurized water on Palestinians who gathered near the Damascus Gate.

Palestinians in Jerusalem in recent days have protested in solidarity with residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood amid clashes with Israeli police.

Protests came as the Israeli Central Court in East Jerusalem approved a decision to evict seven Palestinian families from their homes in favor of Israeli settlers at the beginning of 2021.

Israeli police attempted to disperse worshippers inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound Friday evening, using stun grenades and gas bombs.

Women were also targeted by Israeli forces, according to witnesses.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

* Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara