50 Palestinians injured as al-Quds clashes escalate

Israeli forces have injured at least 50 Palestinians in a fresh crackdown on protesters demanding an end to restrictions outside the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.

Clashes between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli regime forces outside the mosque compound continued for a sixth consecutive day on Thursday as Israeli officials refused to heed growing international calls to remove metal detectors recently installed at the entrance to the religious site.

Reports said some of those injured in the clashes were in serious conditions and at least one protester needed surgery.

The clashes came after worshippers massed outside the mosque for evening prayers. Like previous days this week, Muslims followed recommendations by clerics not to submit to the new Israeli measures by passing through the detectors to enter the mosque.

Israel placed the detectors in front of the site, generally known as the Noble Sanctuary, on July 14 after a reported shootout near the compound left two Israeli soldiers and three Palestinians dead. Israelis have refused calls for the removal of the detectors which have been contested by Jordan, the official custodian of the area.

Hamas calls for 'day of rage'

Public anger over the Israeli measures is expected to boil on Friday, when Muslims from across the occupied Palestinian territories will turn in their thousands to attend Friday prayers. Clerics have called on people to shut all nearby mosques to attend the prayers and protests outside al-Aqsa, unless the restrictions were scrapped.

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, issued a statement on Thursday, saying Friday would be "a day of rage" against Israel.

"Let Friday be a turning point in the battle in the defense of al-Quds and al-Aqsa," Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh added in a televised speech.

Similar calls have been made by other anti-Israeli groups, calling on people to confront Israel's plans to change the status quo of the highly-revered Muslim site, which is also revered by Jews and Christians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under immense pressure to remove the metal detectors.

Remove Jerusalem metal detectors, demands Erdogan

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday urged his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin to swiftly remove metal detectors that have outraged Muslim Palestinian worshippers at a sensitive holy site in annexed east Jerusalem.

"Within the framework of freedom of religion and worship there can be no impediment for Muslims" entering the holy site, the Anadolu news agency quoted Erdogan as telling Rivlin. "Given the importance that Haram al-Sharif carries for the whole Islamic world, the metal detectors put in place by Israel should be removed in the shortest possible time and an end put to the tension," Erdogan added.

The Turkish leader had earlier held telephone talks with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, telling him the measures imposed by Israel were "unacceptable".