Israeli soldiers in al-Ram neighborhood at the edge of occupied
Jerusalem opened fire at West Bank Palestinians trying to enter
Jerusalem to attend the Friday prayers at the Aqsa Mosque.

The troops fired live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas canisters and stun grenades. A bus driver from the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem was hit with a rubber bullet and a number of people suffered breathing difficulties as a result of inhaling the tear gas. Hundreds of worshippers were barred from entering the holy city.

Eyewitnesses said that as soon as they reached al-Ram and tried to enter Jerusalem, they were attacked by border guards and Israeli police. The bus driver was hit with a rubber bullet in his side and was taken to a hospital in Ramallah.

Eyewitnesses added that Israeli soldiers outside al-Aqsa Mosque detained a number of young Palestinians who managed to enter the city. The soldiers confiscated their ID cards and barred them from entering the Mosque.

Attacks against worshippers at Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, have been frequent in recent months, with Israeli authorities preventing anyone under 30 years old from praying in the mosque, and blocking all Palestinians from the West Bank from entering.

 

*this article was sourced from palestine-info.co.uk