Palestinians, Israeli forces clash in East Jerusalem

JERUSALEM 

By Turgut Alp Boyraz

Clashes erupted between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians following the weekly Friday prayers in the Wadi Joz neighborhood near the Old City of East Jerusalem.

The clashes erupted as Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets to protest Israeli restrictions in the neighborhood.

Israeli troops, who were heavily deployed in the area, fired stun grenades and sound bombs at Palestinian protesters.

Two Palestinians were arrested during the clashes, Israel police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Anadolu Agency.

Israeli police have imposed restrictions on Palestinians worshippers, banning men under 50 from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state in a move never recognized by the international community.

GAZA CITY 

At least 40 Palestinians were killed and scores injured in Israeli shelling of Rafah city in southern Gaza Strip, according to a Health Ministry spokesman.

"At least 40 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 others injured in the Israeli shelling of Rafah," ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qodra told Anadolu Agency.

He expected the death toll to rise as the shelling targeted scores of Palestinians in the city.

"Israel is committing massacres in the city," he said.

An Israeli official earlier said on Friday that a 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip had collapsed.

The Israeli government, however, has not confirmed the report.

Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip for almost four weeks, which killed at least 1458 Palestinians and injured more than 8300 others.

Israel claims that the offensive aims to undermine the ability of Palestinian factions to fire rockets at Israeli cities.

According to Israeli figures, at least 61 soldiers have been killed in battles with Palestinian fighters and three civilians by rocket fire.

Israel's military operation, codenamed "Operation Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populate Gaza Strip – which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.

By Ola Attalah

englishnews@aa.com.tr

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