Raids by Israeli police on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the most holy Muslim site in Jerusalem, have triggered a spike in violence that continued to spiral in recent days, drawing several regional actors into a deadly back-and-forth.
Police said they were working to clear men who had barricaded themselves inside the compound midweek, flinging fireworks and rocks, while social media videos of the incursions showed Israeli officers in riot gear chasing and using clubs to beat Palestinians inside the mosque. Palestinians gathered there overnight after a fringe fundamentalist Jewish group published calls to hold a Passover goat sacrifice at the sacred compound, where ancient Jewish temples stood thousands of years ago.
