Israeli police assault protesters in 1948 Palestinian towns as hundreds rally to slam Al-Aqsa stormings

Israeli police went on the attack in towns with sizeable Palestinian populations within Israel’s 1948 borders overnight on Wednesday, as demonstrators condemned their brutal stormings of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Police assaulted Palestinians in the town of Umm Al-Fahm, where hundreds had gathered to condemn Israeli brutality at Al-Aqsa during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

Police fired live bullets into the air, while one man was injured by a grenade, Arabi 21 reported.

In the city of Haifa, also home to a sizeable Palestinian population, a protester was injured and another arrested when police confronted demonstrators, some carrying the Palestinian flag, Haaretz said.

Protests also took place in the Palestinian-majority cities of Kafr Manda and Reineh, the Israeli daily said. There were also protests in Baqa Al-Gharbiyeh, Arabi 21 reported.

The protests followed the Israeli storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday night that left hundreds of worshippers injured. 

Israeli security forces and settlers have stormed the compound several times since Ramadan began on 23 March.

Israel also launches strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip overnight Tuesday, after Palestinian militants fired rockets into Israel.

The most recent spike in Israeli aggression comes amid an exceptionally deadly year for Palestinians in the occupied territories at the hands of Israeli forces.

Since the start of 2023, Israeli forces have killed 95 Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Israeli forces have brutally cracked down on protests in 1948 towns in support of Palestinians in the occupied territories before - including in 2021, the year it conducted an 11-day bombing campaign on Gaza that killed more than 250 Palestinians.