JERUSALEM — Israeli security forces and Palestinians exchanged fire in several tense spots in the West Bank and Gaza Strip following Muslim midday prayers today, leaving two Palestinians dead and more than 20 injured.
Throughout the two months of Mideast violence, the two sides have regularly clashed after mosque prayers on the Muslim Sabbath, when young Palestinian men pour into the streets following the services. This marked the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when the number of worshippers swells.
One Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces outside Hebron, on the West Bank, and a second was killed in Rafah, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian gunmen and Israeli forces traded gunshots in the West Bank town of Ramallah, and Israeli tanks shelled buildings, witnesses said. At least 21 Palestinians were wounded in Ramallah, hospitals said.
Two Israeli soldiers suffered light injuries in other clashes, the military said.
Also, Israeli forces maintained a close watch outside the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, where the rioting began following a Sept. 28 visit by hard-line Israeli politician Ariel Sharon. The compound, the site of the biblical Jewish Temples, is also the holiest site in Judaism.
Police said about 100,000 worshippers prayed at Al Aqsa after Israel eased age restrictions imposed when the violence began. But witnesses said the crowd was much smaller. Palestinian official Adnan Husseini said about 15,000 people attended.
After the services, Palestinians marched in the plaza in front of the mosque, shouting slogans. Some threw rocks toward police gathered just outside a gate leading to the compound, but police did not respond. Muslim officials and Palestinian security officers kept the demonstrators away from the Israeli forces.