Suddenly and shockingly, Israeli police stormed into a mosque during Ramadan and used stun grenades.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City was the target of Palestinian teenagers throwing rocks and firecrackers.
As a result, terrorists in Gaza fired rockets, prompting an airstrike by Israel.
The battle sparked global condemnation and increased concerns of a larger one given it occurred during the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims and Passover for Jews.
The raid reportedly resulted in the injuries of scores of worshipers who had spent the night praying, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Video released by police showed the repeated explosions of fireworks inside the mosque.
One amateur video taken by Palestinians showed police beating people with clubs and rifles, as a woman shouts: ‘Oh God. Oh God.’
Outside the gate, armed officers dispersed groups of youths with stun grenades and rubber bullets.
Police said one officer was injured in the leg, while dozens of people were arrested.
They claimed they moved in after ‘several law-breaking youths and masked agitators’ brought fireworks, sticks and stones and barricaded themselves into the mosque.
They also claimed the youths chanted violent slogans and locked the front doors.
‘After many and prolonged attempts to get them out by talking to no avail, police forces were forced to enter the compound in order to get them out,’ a spokesperson said.
Palestinian militants responded by firing a barrage of rockets from Gaza into southern Israel, setting off air raid sirens in the region as residents were preparing for the beginning of the week-long Passover holiday.
The Israeli military said a total of five rockets were fired, and all were intercepted.
Hours later, Israel responded with an airstrike on Gaza.
Two years ago similar clashes erupted into an 11 day war between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli military said one soldier was shot in a separate incident in the occupied West Bank.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque sits on a hilltop holy to both Jews and Muslims.
The spot, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is the holiest site in Judaism and is the location of the biblical Jewish temples.
Al-Aqsa is also the third holiest site in Islam, and is typically packed with worshippers during Ramadan.
The Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad also called for Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Israel to go and gather around Al-Aqsa Mosque and confront Israeli forces.
The conflicting claims fuel constant tensions that have spilled into violence numerous times in the past.
At least 88 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire this year, according to an Associated Press tally. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed 15 people in the same period.
Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were militants. But stone-throwing youths and bystanders uninvolved in violence were also among the dead. All but one of the Israeli dead were civilians.