Jerusalem District

As tensions mount in Jerusalem after new Israeli security measures at the highly sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has urged calm, stressing the Islamic world's sensitivity on the issue.      

"Their implementation is wrong," Yıldırım said about the Israeli measures.

Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering Jerusalem's Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose and protests erupted over new security measures at a highly sensitive holy site.

Turkey has condemned Israel for proceeding with the approval process for additional units in "illegal settlements" in East Jerusalem, despite Palestinian and international opposition.

Israel has decried a UNESCO resolution rejecting its sovereignty over Jerusalem and condemning Israeli "archaeological excavations" in Jerusalem's Old City.

In a statement on July 5, the Israeli Foreign Ministry described the resolution as "irrelevant, absurd and pathetic."

The Israeli ambassador to the UK has named a British woman stabbed to death in Jerusalem as Hannah Bladon.

Israel’s ambassador to London Mark Regev tweeted: “My thoughts are with the family and friends of UK student Hannah Bladon, who was murdered in a senseless act of terror in Jerusalem today.”

Known in Hebrew as Yerushalayim and in Arabic as al-Quds, Jerusalem has the greatest number of sacred sites of any city on earth and is considered by many to be the center of the world.

It is one of the oldest cities in the world and it is of great significance for Christians, Jews and Muslims alike.

Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın called on Israel to act with "common sense" over the initial approval of a draft law that will silence the Muslim call to prayer at certain hours, saying "the response of the Muslim world will be loud and clear."

Israel approved building permits on Jan. 22 for hundreds of homes in three East Jerusalem settlements, two days after U.S. President Donald Trump took office, expecting him to row back on the last administration's criticism of such projects. 

A Palestinian drove a truck on people in Jerusalem. According to the first information there are four soldiers dead and at least ten more people wounded.

The perpetrator was shot and killed on the spot. According to the authorities there is no doubt that the attack was intentional and not an accident.

At least four people died on Sunday as a truck rammed into a crowd in Jerusalem, local media say.

The driver, who police say was neutralized, was an East Jerusalem resident, according to Jerusalem Post.

Thirteen others were left wounded in the attack. Of these, three are in serious condition.

All victims, three women and a man, were reportedly in their 20s.