Clashes erupt as Israel police storm Jerusalem mosque

Israeli police clashed with Palestinians inside Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque Wednesday, sparking a military exchange of rockets and air strikes in flaring violence as the Jewish Passover coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Armed police in riot gear stormed the mosque's prayer hall before dawn, aiming to dislodge "law-breaking youths and masked agitators" they said had barricaded themselves inside following evening prayers.

The officers were met with a barrage of rocks and fireworks, police video showed. More than 350 arrests were made in the raid, which drew threats from Palestinian groups and wide condemnation from Muslim countries and beyond the region.

Palestinian witness Abdel Karim Ikraiem, 74, charged that Israeli police armed with batons, tear gas grenades and smoke bombs, burst into the mosque "by force" and "beat the women and men" worshipping there.

One video widely circulated on social media showed police clubbing people on the floor inside the mosque.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had treated 37 people for injuries, including some after their release from custody.

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir voiced his "complete backing" for police and praised their "swift and determined" actions.

Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, called on West Bank Palestinians "to go en masse to the Al-Aqsa mosque to defend it".

Rockets were fired in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday from Gaza into Israel, without causing casualties, prompting retaliatory air strikes.

The mosque in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem is Islam's third holiest site. It is built on top of what Jews call the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site.

It has been a frequent flashpoint, particularly during Ramadan, and clashes there in May 2021 sparked the latest Gaza war that raged for 11 days.