Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in Jerusalem

Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians escalated this week as Palestinian militants in Gaza fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, which in turn ramped up airstrikes across Gaza.

The militants say they fired their rockets in response to the actions of Israeli police who fired stun grenades inside the Aqsa mosque, one of Jerusalem’s holiest sites, on Monday morning. Video from the compound showed long-running exchanges between Palestinians throwing rocks and Israeli police firing rubber-coated bullets.

For several weeks now, Jerusalem has seen repeated confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli police across the city. One of the main sources of growing unrest has been the possible eviction of several Palestinian families from their homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

On Sunday, Israel’s Supreme Court postponed an appeal hearing on the decades-long legal case. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while Israel does not seek an intensification of hostilities, “the current conflict could continue for some time.” He said the barrage of missiles from Gaza “crossed a line” and vowed to “respond with great force.”