Israel is working to reduce tensions and maintain the status quo on Temple Mount, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday afternoon Palestinians and police clashed in al-Aqsa earlier in the day.
"After extremists prevented the entry of Muslim worshipers to the mosque, security forces were forced to act to bring order," the prime minister said.
"Israel remains committed to maintaining freedom of worship and free entry for all religions on Temple Mount," Netanyahu added.
United Arab Emirates strongly condemned what it called a "storming" of the Al-Aqsa mosque by police on Wednesday, the Emirati foreign ministry said in a statement. "The UAE called on Israeli authorities to halt escalation and avoid exacerbating tension and instability in the region," it said.
Clashes in al-Aqsa
Police entered al-Aqsa on Wednesday morning, firing stun grenades and working to remove the people barricaded inside. Palestinians in the mosque fired fireworks and threw stones at the Israeli forces. Dozens of Palestinians were reportedly injured or arrested in the clashes, with Palestinian media claiming that medics were prevented from reaching the site.
The police stressed that dozens of young adults armed with sticks, stones and fireworks, barricaded themselves in the mosque earlier in the evening in order to start a violent disturbance. The police added that they tried for hours to convince the young adults to exit the mosque peacefully, but were forced to forcefully enter the building after a continued refusal. One police officer was injured in the clashes.
Palestinian terrorist groups have threatened, as they do every Passover, to respond if the Paschal sacrifice is carried out.
The Hamas terrorist movement warned that it would "not stand idly by" if the sacrifice is done, stressing that Israel "bears full responsibility for the repercussions" of such an act.
"We warn the occupation against committing foolish actions that affect al-Aqsa Mosque, and we call on our struggling Palestinian people to mobilize, raise the level of readiness, tighten the journey, intensify the bond and retreat in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and repel the occupation’s aggression and thwart the plans of its terrorist settlers," said the Hamas movement.
Ben-Gvir defends work to 'prevent riots and terror'
"I back the chief of Israel Police, the commander of the Jerusalem District, the police officers, the soldiers and the entire defense system for their determined work last night at Temple Mount to prevent riots and terrorism," said National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
"I give my full support to these actions that were intended to keep human life safe and wish a full recovery to officers who were injured. It's very severe that stones, metals and fireworks are taken into a mosque with the intention of harming and murdering police officers and harming the citizens of Israel."