RAMALLAH, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces attacked Palestinians on Friday while they were performing their Friday prayers at the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint located between Ramallah and Jerusalem.
According to witnesses, the Israeli forces threw gas canister and rubber coated bullets on worshippers, injuring several.
Hundreds of Palestinians held prayers at the nearest point towards Jerusalem, protesting the new Israeli measures and metal detectors enforced at the gates of Al-Aqsa mosque.
Most Palestinians with West Bank identity cards cannot access East Jerusalem without special permits, which are often difficult to obtain.
Israeli forces have pushed with more forces amid calls for a Day of Rage by Palestinians protesting the Israeli interventions at the holy site, known as Al-Haram Al-Sharif, including the Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock, besides other worship places.
Palestinian Muslim held prayers in several locations inside East Jerusalem, as they refuse to use the metal detectors to enter the mosque, and in several places in the West Bank, ahead of expected marches towards Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank.
Israeli cabinet meeting Thursday night concluded with a decision to keep the new metal detectors and access control measures into Al-Aqsa Mosque after being installed last Sunday.
The step was opposed by Palestinians, who called on world powers to intervene to halt tensions in the region.
