The Arab League on Wednesday strongly condemned an Israeli police raid on Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, saying it put regional stability at risk.

In a statement issued after an emergency meeting on the incident, the League condemned what it called “crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against defenceless Muslim worshippers” in the mosque.

The pre-dawn raid risked “igniting a spiral of violence that threatens security and stability in the region and the world”, it added.

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit had earlier condemned the raid in a separate statement.

“The extremist approaches that control the policy of the Israeli government will lead to widespread confrontations with the Palestinians if they are not put to an end,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed the situation had been caused by “extremists” who barricaded themselves inside the mosque with weapons, stones and fireworks.

Violence at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Meanwhile, Israeli police entered Al-Aqsa Mosque a second time on Wednesday, witnesses said, hours after the arrest and removal of more than 350 people in a police raid at the compound and despite a US appeal to ease tensions.

In the second instance, late at night, police entered the compound and tried to evacuate worshippers, using stun grenades and firing rubber bullets, said staff of the Waqf, the Jordanian-appointed organisation managing the complex.

Worshippers threw objects at police, witnesses said. The Palestinian Red Crescent said six people were injured.

In a statement, police claimed dozens of youngsters brought rocks and firecrackers into the mosque and had tried to barricade themselves inside. The Waqf, however, said police entered the mosque before prayers were over.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said: “Israel’s raid into Al-Aqsa mosque, its assault on worshippers, is a slap to recent US efforts which tried to create calm and stability during the month of Ramazan.”

Less than 24 hours earlier, police raided the mosque to try to remove what they claimed were masked agitators who locked themselves inside after attempts to remove them by dialogue failed.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said 12 Palestinians were injured in the earlier incident, including from rubber-tipped bullets and beatings. Israeli police said two officers were injured.

The Waqf described the police actions as a “flagrant assault on the identity and the function of the mosque as a place of worship for Muslims alone”.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby voiced concern about the violence at the mosque and said it was imperative that Israelis and Palestinians de-escalate tensions.

Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem’s Old City is Islam’s third holiest site where tens of thousands pray during Ramazan. It is also Judaism’s most sacred site, revered as Temple Mount, a vestige of the two biblical Jewish temples.

Under a longstanding “status quo” arrangement governing the compound, non-Muslims can visit but only Muslims may worship at the mosque. Some Jewish visitors have increasingly prayed there despite that arrangement.

Violence at Gaza border

Israeli authorities have said at least nine rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel after the first incident of violence at Al Aqsa, alleging that Palestinian groups were responsible for the act. They said retaliatory air strikes from Isreal targeted weapon production sites for the Palestinian group Hamas that controls the blockaded coastal enclave.

No casualties were reported on either side of the Gaza border.

Hamas did not claim responsibility for the rocket attacks but said they were a response to the raid on Al-Aqsa, where violence in 2021 set off a 10-day war with Gaza.

According to the Israeli military, two more rockets were fired from Gaza just before the second Al-Aqsa clash. The military said one fell short and the other in an open space.

“We are not interested in an escalation but we are ready for any scenario,” Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said earlier in the day.

Calls for easing of tensions

“Leaders on all sides must act responsibly and refrain from steps that could escalate tensions,” said United Nations (UN) Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China asked the 15-member UN Security Council to discuss the situation behind closed doors on Thursday, said diplomats.

The UAE’s foreign ministry also said “worshippers should not barricade themselves inside the mosque and places of worship with weapons and explosives”.

Jordan and Egypt, both involved in US-backed efforts to de-escalate Israel-Palestinian tensions, condemned the incident, as did Turkey. Saudi Arabia, with which Israel hopes to normalise ties, said Israel’s “storming” of Al-Aqsa undermined peace efforts.

The Palestinian foreign ministry said: “Israel’s aggression against the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound is an egregious assault on the basic right of Palestinians to worship freely in their holy site.”

In Gaza, thousands rallied in protest.

The Israeli military has said Palestinian protesters burned tyres and threw rocks and explosive devices at Israeli soldiers, one of whom was shot and wounded, in the West Bank town of Beit Ummar.

With Israel still reeling from weeks of protests over Netanyahu’s plans to rein in the powers of the Supreme Court, the recent incidents have added to an already fevered political atmosphere.

Far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for a harsh response. “Hamas rockets require more than blasting dunes and empty sites. It’s time to rip heads off in Gaza,” he said in a tweet.