Police clashed late Wednesday with residents of the northern Arab Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm, in a spillover of violent tensions at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The rioting came as clashes erupted at the mosque for a second straight night and Palestinians terrorists in the Gaza Strip again fired rockets toward Israel, further stoking concerns of a broader flareup.
In Umm al-Fahm, hundreds took part in a solidarity march for Al-Aqsa, during which a number of rioters threw rocks at Route 65, according to police. Officers then moved to disperse the rally.
A unit of undercover cops was attacked at the scene after apparently being exposed, and one of them fired his weapon into the air to help them escape, police said.
Images from Umm al-Fahm showed rioters burning tires in the streets.
Other disturbances were reported in the Arab Israeli communities of Baqa al-Gharbiya, Arraba, Reineh, Kafr Kanna and Kafr Manda, as well as in the West Bank.
There were also riots near the Gaza border fence, with Palestinians burning tires and throwing improvised explosions in the direction of the border. IDF troops were working to disperse the rioters at the border, according to Army Radio.
The violence came as fresh fighting broke out at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Footage showed police in riot gear trying to make their way into the site as those inside hurled objects at them from within.
“Dozens of young people who were breaking the law, some of the masked, brought fireworks and stones into the mosque with the aim of disturbing public order in the area, and were desecrating the mosque,” police said in a statement.
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