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Jerusalem clashes leave 300 injured

ISRAELI police firing tear gas, stun grenades and rubbercoated bullets have clashed with Palestinian stone-throwers at a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem. It is the latest in a series of confrontations that threatens to push the contested city towards wider conflict.

More than a dozen tear gas canisters and stun grenades landed in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, situated in a compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims, said a photographer at the scene.

Smoke rose in front of the mosque and the famous goldendomed shrine on the site, and rocks littered the surrounding plaza.

Inside one area of the compound, shoes and debris lay scattered over ornate carpets.

More than 305 Palestinians were hurt, including 228 who went to hospitals and clinics for treatment, according to the Palestine Red Crescent. Police said 21 officers were hurt, including three who were taken to hospital.

A photographer witnessing the clashes said that in the early morning hours, protesters had barricaded gates to the walled compound with wooden boards and scrap metal.

Sometime after 7am local time, clashes erupted, with those inside the compound throwing stones at police deployed outside. Police entered the compound, firing tear gas and stun grenades.

Police said protesters hurled stones at officers and on to an adjoining roadway near the Western Wall, where thousands of Israeli Jews had gathered to pray.

Israel has come under growing international criticism for its heavy-handed actions at the site, particularly during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.