Palestinian terrorists fired a barrage of rockets early Thursday, setting off air raid sirens in southern Israel, as violence erupted for the second day in a row during a sensitive period of overlapping holidays.
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The barrage came after another tense night at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Israeli police clashed with Muslim worshippers attempting to stay overnight, in defiance of long-standing compromises about the management of the compound. The Israeli military said seven rockets launched from the Gaza Strip all exploded in midair. No group claimed responsibility for the barrage.
Unrest in the region was less intense than the previous days, but the rocket fire raised fears of a wider conflagration as Jews began the week-long Passover holiday, hundreds of Christians in the Old City gathered for Holy Thursday at the Holy Sepulcher to mark the Last Supper, and Muslims marked the Ramadan holy month.
Al-Aqsa is the third-holiest site in Islam. Since Ramadan began March 22, scores of Muslim worshippers have repeatedly tried to stay overnight in the mosque, defying police orders and staging violent riots that have injured Israelis. Some of the Palestinian provocateurs have even brought, rocks, fireworks, and other weapons to the site and have attacked the forces rather than pray peacefully.
Jews across Israel celebrated the start of Passover on Wednesday night, with families gathering for the traditional Seder feast. In some Arab communities, including in Umm el-Fahem in northern Israel, local provocateurs tried to disrupt the celebration by clashing with Israel Police forces who had been deployed in large numbers to ensure calm and reduce friction.
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