10 Injured as Israeli Troops Clash With Arabs in Gaza Strip Protest

Israeli troops Friday shot and wounded at least 10 Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip during a violent protest of the killings on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount last week.

The clash was sparked by hundreds of worshipers in the Khan Yunis refugee camp who marched out of mosques and paraded with outlawed Palestinian flags chanting, “Our blood for Al Aqsa, for Saddam,” Arab witnesses said.

They were referring to the Al Aqsa mosque, on the Temple Mount, where 21 Palestinians were killed Oct. 8. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is viewed by many Palestinians as a hero because he has tried to link the Israeli-Arab conflict to the Persian Gulf crisis.

The army said its troops opened fire after coming under a hail of stones.

In Jerusalem, meanwhile, police used water cannons to disperse hundreds of Muslim youths who were protesting over being barred from prayer services at Al Aqsa for a second consecutive week.

Police blocked all residents of the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip from attending the services, as well as all men from Jerusalem under age 45. As a result, fewer than 2,000 Muslims were at the service.

Before the 34-month Palestinian uprising, on a normal Friday, the Muslim Sabbath, more than 10,000 Muslims would pray at Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock mosques on the Temple Mount, known as Haram al Sharif (“noble sanctuary”) to Muslims.

Islamic religious leaders charged that Israel was interfering with their freedom of religion and demanded that all Muslims be admitted to the area for worship.

In the Gaza Strip incident, Arab reports said soldiers fired live ammunition, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrators. Hospital officials said 10 people were admitted with wounds from live bullets. It said 50 more had injuries from rubber bullets.

The army said 13 Palestinians were “slightly” wounded by live ammunition and rubber bullets.