Palestinian militants 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.
The Israeli military said seven rockets launched from the Gaza strip all exploded in midair. No group claimed responsibility for the barrage.
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 management of the compound.
Such confrontations at the contested holy compound have sparked deadly cross-border wars between Israel and Gaza’s hamas rulers in the past.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz said protests on Wednesday night drew hundreds in communities across Israel’s north home to many of Israel’s Palestinian citizens.
