The current fever pitch came after the violence on Wednesday, when Israeli riot police conducted a pre-dawn raid on the prayer hall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, aimed at removing “law-breaking youths and masked agitators” who said they He locked himself inside.
As Ramadan coincides with the Jewish Passover holiday this year, tensions have risen with thousands of Palestinians praying at Al-Aqsa during the Muslim fasting month.
Palestinians fear Netanyahu’s hard-right government may overturn long-standing rules that allow Jews to enter the mosque compound but not pray, despite their repeated denials.
Since the beginning of January, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of at least 92 Palestinians, 18 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian, according to an AFP count based on Israeli and Palestinian official sources.
These figures include combatants and civilians on the Palestinian side, including minors, and on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, including minors, and three members of the Arab minority.
