Widespread unrest in East Jerusalem amid Israeli crackdown

Clashes also spread to West Bank following recent shootings

There were numerous clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli forces in the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem. Reuters

Violence has spread to many areas of occupied East Jerusalem as Israeli forces clash with residents.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid was to hold a security assessment over the situation, public broadcaster Kan said on Thursday morning.

By Thursday morning, there was relative calm in Jerusalem before a march that draws thousands of attendees during the week-long Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which began on Sunday evening.

Palestinians in dozens of East Jerusalem neighbourhoods went on strike on Wednesday amid Israeli raids in Shuafat refugee camp. These followed a resident having shot and killed an Israeli soldier at a nearby checkpoint.

Israeli forces locked down the area on Sunday after failing to apprehend the suspect, who they believe is in the camp.

Streets were emptied as businesses shut in support of residents in Shuafat. In the camp there were heavy clashes with the police.

Israeli officers said they clashed with "rioters" who threw firebombs and stones. Some police were injured, as hundreds of people protested outside the entrance to the camp. Twenty-three Palestinians were arrested, half of them minors, the Israeli police said.

Israeli police detain a man after violence broke out during a visit by a group of Jewish people to the Al Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem. All photos unless otherwise stated: AFP

Israeli police said they had repelled ‘dozens of rioters' who had been ’throwing stones and other objects’ at security forces.

Israeli police fired rubber bullets at the compound and briefly entered the mosque, where worshippers had taken shelter.

Dozens of Palestinians gathered and chanted 'God is greatest' as Jewish groups arrived at the site.

Palestinian factions including Hamas, the militant group which rules Gaza, called on Muslim worshippers to gather at Al Aqsa on Thursday.

Hamas accused Israeli authorities of 'playing with fire' by allowing Jews to visit the site.

The resumption of tours within the grounds of the Old City site follows a customary pause during the final days of Ramadan.

The Al Aqsa Mosque compound is the third-holiest site in Islam and the most important site for Jews, who are permitted to visit but not pray at the site.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said their medics did not treat any wounded worshippers on Thursday morning.

Protesters clash with the Israeli security forces. Reuters

The latest confrontations in the Old City come as Israel celebrates Independence Day, which marks the establishment of the state in 1948. Reuters

Tensions have been high in Jerusalem this month, with regular clashes between the Israeli army and Palestinians in the Old City, particularly around the Al Aqsa compound.

The unrest coincided with the Jewish High Holiday season, which often leads to a rise in confrontation as Israelis visit the site, where Jewish prayer is forbidden under an agreement with Muslim authorities.

Palestinian media has reported regular raids and arrests at the compound in recent weeks.

The occupied West Bank city of Nablus was also put under lockdown on Wednesday after an Israeli soldier was shot dead at a nearby Israeli settlement. The attacker is still at large.

Clashes were reported in other areas, with an 18-year-old killed near Hebron on Wednesday night.

The army has launched almost daily raids in the West Bank following a wave of Palestinian attacks in Israel earlier this year that killed 19 people.

More than 100 Palestinians have been killed this year, most of them since the army began its operations. It is the highest death toll since 2015.