Twitter angered the prestigious American broadcaster "NPR" after the social networking platform owned by billionaire Elon Musk put a "state media" tag on its account.

The rating puts NPR (National Public Radio), which has more than eight million followers in Washington, on par with Chinese and Russian state media.

The move comes after Twitter stripped the New York Times account of the verification mark, in Musk's first update on media-related policies.

Conservatives view the two media organizations as bastions of the left, a position Musk has often expressed in his tweets.
According to the policy of Twitter, which is a major communication tool for officials, celebrities and the media, this decision will limit the access of radio and newspaper tweets to users.

NPR CEO John Lansing said, "It was disturbing to see last night that Twitter designated us as a state media, a designation under Twitter's own guidelines that does not apply to NPR."

The broadcaster told AFP that less than 1 percent of its funding comes from federal sources.

Lansing confirmed, "+NPR+ supports freedom of expression and accountability for the powerful. It is not acceptable for Twitter to tag us in this way."

Ben America, which defends freedom of expression, described the move as dangerous.

"Twitter's unilateral labeling of +NBR+ as a state media, on a par with Russian RT, is a dangerous step that could undermine public confidence in reliable news sources," said Liz Woolery, director of digital policy at the organisation.

A famous Greek seismologist has come under investigation after spreading on April 1st a lie that a huge funnel could open under the volcanic island of Santorini, one of Greece's most popular tourist destinations.

And the director of the Hellenic Institute of Geodynamics and the Tsunami Center , Akis Tsilentis , posted a photo on Facebook on Wednesday, similar to police photos of the detainees, in which he appears to be holding a paper that reads, "Guilty of April Fool's prank."

"We live in a country where humor is persecuted, unlike pedophiles, rapists and scammers," he added.
On Tuesday, a public prosecutor ordered a preliminary investigation to determine whether Tslintis' post on April 1 qualifies as promoting fake news.

Celentis wrote on Facebook that "the situation is not good in Santorini." "Since January, a gradual decrease in magma has been recorded under the volcano," he added.

Celentis joked that there was a "high probability" that the magma was moving towards an imaginary volcano, creating a funnel-shaped void that could "swallow the waters of the Aegean Sea".

A volcanic eruption at the end of the seventeenth century BC that wiped out the Minoan civilization completely reshaped the topography of Santorini, and the island is still witnessing high geothermal activity accompanied by seismic tremors.

In 1950, the last major eruption of the most active part of the volcano, located under the uninhabited lava island of Kameni, was recorded.

The French authorities announced the rescue of about forty immigrants in the English Channel while they were trying to reach England with two small boats, including three children who were pulled out in a state of severe hypothermia.

The French Channel and North Maritime Administration said in a statement that the French authorities rescued, in two successive operations on Wednesday, 28 people and 13 people, respectively, and brought them to the beach.

She explained that a patrol boat of the French Navy detected, on Wednesday morning, the presence of drowned people in the waters off Boulogne-sur-Mer (the north), and sent a speedboat, which recovered 28 people who were all in the water.

She added that among these were three children and an adult who were suffering from hypothermia and were treated by the emergency department.
Shortly thereafter, a navy ship rescued another boat that was in difficulty and picked up 13 people.

About 46,000 people crossed the English Channel in 2022 in small boats.

Five people have died and four others are missing on these dangerous crossings, according to the administration's own figures.

The Cannes Film Festival will open next May 16 with the movie "Jeanne du Barry" by French director Maywen, as the organizers announced Wednesday, and this film is strongly dedicated to the return of American star Johnny Depp to the big screen.

And the festival stated in a statement that “Jeanne du Barry”, which is the sixth feature film by the 46-year-old French actress and director (after “Police”, which won the Jury Prize in 2011, “Mon Roi”, “ADN” and others), will be shown on the screen. Grand Theater Lumiere after the opening ceremony, which is broadcast live by France TV on the small screen and on the Internet channel Brut.

The film deals with "the life of Jeanne de Barry, concubine of King Louis XV, and the story of her rise and fall," and is played by director Maywen herself. As for Depp, he embodies the character of the French king, while French actors Pierre Richard, Benjamin Laverne and India Hair also participate in the work.

Johnny Depp returns strongly to the cinematic arena through this film after the judicial confrontation that received wide media attention between him and his ex-wife Amber Hurd regarding accusations of marital violence, and mutual accusations of defamation between them.

The Cannes Festival has previously shown a group of films starring Johnny Depp (59 years old), including “Fair and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”, as well as the movie “The Brave”, which he directed in the 1997 session.

Saudi Arabia and Iran confirmed in a joint statement Thursday, after a rare meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries in Beijing, that the agreement to resume diplomatic relations between the two regional powers will contribute to achieving security and stability in the Middle East.

"During the talks, the two sides stressed the importance of following up on the implementation of the Benn agreement and its implementation, which strengthened mutual trust and expanded the scope of cooperation, and contributed to the achievement of security, stability and prosperity in the region," said the statement, which was published by Iranian and Saudi official media.

Today, Thursday, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency session to discuss the Israeli violations of Al-Aqsa Mosque , at the joint request of Palestine and Jordan, and with the support of the UAE and China.

This request comes after the brutal attack by the occupation forces on the worshipers and seclusion in Al-Qibli Mosque, forcing them to leave it by force, as a prelude to storming settlers in large numbers to perform Talmudic rituals and slaughter offerings inside Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Since the beginning of this year, the Council held its monthly sessions on time, but it held emergency sessions and closed consultations, due to the continuous violations by the occupation forces of Jerusalem and the sanctity of worshipers, in addition to the increase in settlement activity.

It is noteworthy that the occupation forces stormed, on Tuesday night, Wednesday, and last night, Al-Aqsa Mosque after the Tarawih and Fajr prayers, and brutally assaulted the worshipers and seclusion in the Al-Qibli prayer hall and forcibly removed them from it, injuring and arresting hundreds of them, in preparation for the settler groups’ incursions, which sparked local, Arab and international reactions. Rejecting and condemning these incursions.

On Thursday morning, large groups of settlers stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque , in the form of successive groups, on the first day of the so-called Jewish "Passover".

Prior to the start of the incursions, the Israeli occupation police removed the pilgrims inside Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Al-Qibli prayer hall, who were women and the elderly, especially after they emptied it of young men last night.

The occupation police were deployed throughout the mosque, after a tense night, which witnessed a crackdown on those in i'tikaaf and the injury of a number of them.

Official Palestinian and factional bodies, as well as Arab countries, condemned the Israeli repression of the seclusion, which continued for the second day inside Al-Aqsa.

On Thursday morning, the Israeli police announced that it had arrested 5 boys from Umm al-Fahm, in the occupied interior .

The Israeli police claimed, according to a statement, that the detainees threw stones at its members, burned tires, and threw fireworks, last night.

Those forces suppressed marches that took place in the occupied cities of the interior to denounce the aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque .

Unidentified persons opened fire, at dawn on Thursday, at the vehicle of editor Maher Burqan, in the city of Hebron .

According to local sources, Burqan was leaving the Fajr prayer when his vehicle was targeted, without being injured.

At dawn on Thursday, resistance fighters fired several missiles towards the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip.

According to an Israeli military spokesman, 7 rockets were fired from the Strip, 5 of which exploded in the air, and 2 fell into the sea.

He pointed out that Iron Dome was not activated in accordance with the established objection policy.

The missiles were fired hours after the renewed Israeli aggression against worshipers in Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Real Madrid swept its rival and host Barcelona 4-0, including a "hat-trick" for French star Karim Benzema on Wednesday, to qualify the royal team to the final of the Spanish Cup in football, after losing 1-0 in the semi-final first leg.
Brazilian Vinicius Junior opened the scoring in the 45 + 1 minute with an assist from Benzema, before the latter scored a hat-trick in the 50th and 58th minutes from a penalty kick and 80.
It is the second hat-trick in a row for the French striker after the first in the hexagonal victory over Valladolid 6-0 on Sunday in the league competitions, and the sixteenth goal of Benzema in the “El Clasico”.
"It was important to win, then the big margin satisfies us, but the important thing is to win," said Uruguayan Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde after the end of the match.
He praised his colleague Benzema's hat-trick, "We know what Karim offers us. The goals he scored are a reference point for all of us, and he always wants more."
For his part, Barcelona player Sergi Roberto said that Vinicius Junior's goal in the first half was a powerful blow.
And he added, “Their goal at the end of the first half killed us. We did not deserve to concede this goal. I think we were better in the first half.” ".
Barcelona entered the “El Clasico” with an additional dose of confidence about the royal club, as it defeated its rivals in five of its last six matches in various competitions, against one defeat, before falling by four.
Real succeeded in turning the tables on its opponent in its second confrontation in Catalonia in 18 days (losing in the league 1-2) and joining Osasuna, the winner of Athletic Bilbao, to the final.
Real, 19-time winner of the title, is also looking for its first coronation in the competition since the 2014 edition.
Barcelona had to deal with the many absences in its ranks due to injury, such as the Danish Andreas Christensen, the Frenchman Osman Dembele, Pedri and the Dutchman Frankie de Jong.
And Xavi Hernandez, coach of the Catalan club, decided to rely on the same starting line-up that played the first leg, with the exception of the three-player Sergi Roberto, the Brazilian Rafinha and the Polish Robert Lewandowski.
In turn, Real missed Frenchman Ferland Mendy with injury as well, while his Italian coach, Uruguayan Carlo Ancelotti, pushed Valverde alongside veterans Croatian Luka Modric and German Toni Kroos in the middle. While the Brazilians Rodrigo and Vinicius Junior play alongside the French Karim Benzema in the attack.
Barcelona started the match with a header from Rafinha in the hands of Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (14), and he had the most possession of the ball after the first half hour, by 58 percent, compared to 42 for his rivals.
Real broke up with the owner of the land before the whistle at the end of the first half, with the goal of a counterattack that Vinicius Junior started with a ball that he passed to Benzema on the right side of the area, before the latter returned it to the Brazilian, who shot directly into the net of German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen (45 + 1).
Vinicius Junior raised his tally to 3 goals in 4 matches in the local cup with Real Madrid.
Real started the second half as he finished the first, doubling the score after a pass from Modric to Benzema in the last twenty meters, who benefited from the sliding of French defender Jules Conde to fire a through ball that hit the net (51).
Real raised his lead to 3 goals after Benzema scored his second personal goal from a penalty kick that Vinicius Jr. got after manipulating Uruguayan defenders Ronald Araujo and Ivorian Frank Kessier, so the latter made the mistake (58).
And Xavi paid his offensive cards as he no longer had anything to lose, so Kessier took out and replaced him with Ansu Fati (59), then he switched to the same position with Eric Garcia entering the place of Marco Alonso and striker Ferran Torres instead of Rafinha (66).
Benzema dealt the fatal blow to Barcelona's hopes by scoring his third personal goal for him and the fourth for his team, with a second assist from Vinicius Junior (81).
The "Camp Nou" fans chanted the name of the Argentine club legend, Lionel Messi, who left to join Paris Saint-Germain two years ago, during the tenth minute of the "El Clasico" life, to commemorate the number he wore in Catalonia during the golden era.
At the initiative of the North Stand, the fans chanted "Messi...Messi!" As it always did when the Argentine was writing in gold letters the club's history, until August 2021 when he had to leave.
Even before kick-off, in front of the "Camp Nou" stadium, several groups of fans sang songs glorifying the Argentine world champion, according to an AFP journalist.
Real did not lose only two of the last eight matches in the local cup (6 victories), as the last defeat dates back to March 2 at home against Barcelona (0-1).
For its part, Barcelona achieved a series of 5 successive victories in various competitions, after losing 2-1 to Manchester United in the European League competition “Europa League” and Almeria 0-1 in the league, before falling again this evening.

Manchester United took revenge on its guest club, Brentford, and beat it 1-0 on Wednesday, in a postponed match between them from the twenty-fifth stage of the English Premier League in football.
The “Red Devils” condemn this victory to a beautiful joint game, after the Brazilian Anthony converted a fallen ball inside the penalty area, and the Austrian Marcel Sabitzer passed it with his head to Rashford in front of the goal, so the latter turned it strong into the roof of the net (28).
This victory is the first for United in the domestic league since mid-February, as it was affected by its participation in several local and continental competitions.
United reached the quarter-finals of the European League (Europa League), the semi-finals of the local cup and lifted the League Cup in February, ending a period of six years in which it was not crowned with any title.
By defeating Brentford, who was humiliated by a 4-0 first-leg humiliation, Manchester United regained fourth place with 53 points, on goal difference from Newcastle III, who beat West Ham simultaneously 5-1.
In a postponed match from the fifth stage, Newcastle United remained in third place by sweeping West Ham 5-1.
The Newcastle quintet scored Callum Wilson (6 and 46), Brazilian Jolinton (13, 90), and Swedish Alexander Isaac (82), raising their team's score to 53 points.
As for West Ham, it remained in fifteenth place, with 27 points.

The draw for the quarter-finals of the African Champions League football competition, Wednesday, put Al-Ahly of Egypt in a strong confrontation with Moroccan Raja Athletic, while Moroccan Wydad, the defending champion, is in a relatively easier confrontation against Simba of Tanzania.
On the other hand, Tunisian Esperance will clash with its neighbor, the Algerian youth club Belouizdad. As for the second representative of Algeria, JS Kabylie, he will face a difficult test against the strong South African Mamelodi Sundowns.
For the second season in a row, Al-Ahly, who holds the record for the number of titles (10 times), must face Al-Raja, and the “Red Devils” team had decided the two confrontations with a total score of 3-2, then went to the final, where it lost with two clean goals against the second pole of the city of Casablanca, Wydad. .
Al-Ahly seeks to consolidate its record numbers and win the eleventh title, especially after its dramatic qualification in the last round at the expense of the Sudanese Al-Hilal, to finish runner-up in the second group, behind Sundowns.
Al-Hilal could have decided qualification in the fifth round when it tied with Mamelodi 1-1, as international Athar Al-Taher missed a penalty kick in stoppage time, which was enough to eliminate the Egyptian giants.
Al-Ahly and Moroccan Raja met in 9 matches, during which Al-Ahly won two matches, while the tie was settled as a result of five confrontations, and Raja achieved victory in two matches. The first leg will be held in Cairo, while the Mohammed V stadium in Casablanca will host the second leg.
Al-Ahly seeks not to return to its fluctuating results that appeared in the group stage, as Swiss coach Marcel Koller realizes that there is no room for compensation this time, especially against a team that is considered the best offensive line (17 goals), and the second best defensive line (3 goals). In addition to scooping 16 points out of 18 possible.
Raja is led by Tunisian coach Munther Al-Kabir, who has great experience in continental forums, in addition to the team's inclusion of a group of distinguished players with great experience, such as goalkeeper Anas Al-Zeniti, Muhammad Zuraida, Abdel-Ilah Al-Hafizi and others aspiring to lead the "Green Eagle" to its fourth title historically and the first since 1999.
The finalist will meet the winner of the Maghreb confrontation between Tunisian Esperance and Algeria's JS Kabylie in the semi-finals.
The "Bab Souika" team, which is seeking its fifth title, reserved its seat in the quarter-finals, after leading its group against the Algerian youth sports club, Belouizdad.
The Canaries are looking forward to their first title since 1990.
It is assumed that Wydad, the defending champion, will not find it difficult to reach the semi-finals when they face Simba of Tanzania.
“Wydad El Omma” quickly regained its balance in the group stage, after opening it with a loss against JS Kabylie, as it achieved four victories and a draw to lead the group.
The team had sought the help of its former Spanish coach, Juan Carlos Garrido, instead of the Tunisian Mahdi Al-Nafti, to gradually improve the results, especially with the return of its main players after they were absent for long periods due to injuries, especially his winger Zuhair Al-Metraji, in addition to the brilliance of his Senegalese striker Pauly Sambo, along with the international full-back Yahya. Atiyatallah and midfielder Yahya Gibran, however, he will miss his goalkeeper Ahmed Reda Al-Teknaouti due to injury and undergoing surgery.
In the event that it exceeds this role, Wydad will be in front of a strong clash against the qualifier from the confrontation between South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns and the Athletic Youth Belouizdad.
The red and white team hopes to move forward towards its first title.

The draw for the quarter-finals of the Confederation of African Football Cup competition resulted in a Maghreb clash between the Royal Moroccan Army and the Algerian Union of the Capital, while the Egyptian Pyramids are facing the South African Samarumou Gallants obstacle, and the Tunisian Monastir Federation is facing the Ivorian ASEC Mimosas exam.
The army is looking forward to keeping the championship cup in Morocco for the fourth season in a row, after it was crowned by Nahdet Berkane last season, in addition to winning the title for the second time in its history after 2005, but the draw put it in front of a difficult task against the giants of the Algerian capital.
The first leg will be held at the “5 July” stadium in Algeria, while the two teams will play the second leg at the “Moulay Abdallah” stadium in Rabat.
Al-Zaeem managed to finish the final price round at the top of his difficult group, which included Egyptian Pyramids and Future and Togolese Asco Kara.
The military team performed strongly in its six matches under the supervision of French coach Fernando da Cruz, and its players included goalkeeper Ayoub Lakrd, Ahmed Hammoudan, Muhammad al-Sahd and Hamza Akman.
The "Sostara" team finished second in its group, behind Young Africans of Tanzania, and starred in its ranks Ayman Maheus, Botswana striker Tumisang Oriboni, and goalkeeper Osama Benbot.
Pyramids monitors breaking the Moroccan hegemony in the competition, and winning the first continental title in its history, but it collides with a difficult opponent, Marumo Galants, South Africa.
In the last round, Pyramids defeated compatriot Future 2-0, to secure qualification for the quarter-finals.
Maromo suffers greatly domestically if he struggles to stay in the first division, as he occupies last place in the South African League.
Monastiri's career will not be easy, as he will face a difficult confrontation against the difficult ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast, which includes a strong squad that seeks to achieve the first continental title since 1999.
The confrontation between Nigerian Rivers United and Tanzanian Young Africans will be equal.

Fiorentina club put forward in the final of the Italian Football Cup , by defeating its host Cremonese 2-0, in the first leg of the semi-finals.
Fiorentina's victory came with a header from Brazilian Arthur Cabral (20) and a penalty kick that was successfully executed by Argentine Nicholas Gonzalez (75).
Cremonese was the dark horse of the competition. Although he sits at the bottom of the Italian league standings, he eliminated Napoli and Roma from the cup competitions to reach the semi-finals, but now it seems that his career is nearing its end.
Things got complicated for the hosts in the last ten minutes of the match, which they completed with ten players, after the Austrian Emmanuel Ayew was sent off due to a handball that resulted in the penalty kick, from which Fiorentina scored the second goal.
This victory is the ninth in a row in all competitions for Fiorentina, who, if they qualify for the final, may face Inter or Juventus (1-1 in the first leg), in their quest to achieve their first major title since 2001.

Nantes successfully continued its campaign to defend its title in the French Football Cup competition, by reaching the final match after defeating Lyon 1-0 on Wednesday in the semi-finals.
Ludovic Blah imposed himself as the star of the match by scoring the qualifying goal in the 57th minute.
The "Canary" team hopes to retain its title for the second year in a row, after previously achieving this achievement in 1999 and 2000 by defeating Sedan and Calais, respectively.
Nantes got a dose of confidence, as it suffers in the league, as it occupies the fourteenth place, only 4 points ahead of the first relegated.
Nantes will face in the final on April 29, the winner of the other semi-final between Annecy of the second division and Toulouse on Thursday.
On the other hand, Lyon suffered great disappointment, as it lost its last hopes for a European seat for the next season, for the second year in a row, as it ranks ninth in the league, 8 points behind the fifth-placed player who qualifies for European competition.

Leipzig continued its campaign to defend its title and qualified for the semi-finals of the German Cup in football, by defeating its guest Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, which also witnessed a difficult victory for Stuttgart over Nuremberg from the second division 1-0.
Leipzig won the match in his favor with goals from Timo Werner (22) and Hungarian Willy Orban (90 + 8).
This victory is refreshing for Leipzig, as the confrontation with Dortmund was renewed after they met early last month in the league, and Dortmund won 2-1, after which Leipzig regained its balance with three goals against Borussia Mönchengladbach, before suffering three consecutive defeats against Manchester City, England, 0-7, in the second leg of the League final price. Champions Bochum 0-1 and Mainz 0-3.
And with a goal scored by Frenchman Enzo Melo in the 83rd minute, Stuttgart gave new coach Sebastian Hoeness a great morale boost in his early days with the team, just two days after he was appointed to succeed Bruno Labbadia.
The start of the match was delayed for half an hour due to the large crowds flocking to the "Max Morlock" stadium, after the stands were filled to their maximum capacity (50,000 spectators).
Thus, Stuttgart joins Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-finals, and Freiburg, who ousted Bayern Munich on Tuesday at the “Allianz Arena”, in a heavy-caliber surprise.
The semi-final draw will be held next Sunday, with the two matches to be held on May 2 and 3.

After midnight, a 15-year-old child was wounded by an Israeli settler's bullet in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.

According to the Red Crescent in Jerusalem, the child was hit with live bullets in the hand, and was taken for treatment.

Areas inside the occupied interior witnessed confrontations between the demonstrators and the occupation forces, in the wake of marches condemning the continued aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque .

Clashes took place in Umm al-Fahm and the al-Zeina town in the Galilee, while young men set rubber tires on fire in Baqa al-Gharbiya, Kafr Manda, and other areas.

The occupation police were deployed heavily in the areas that witnessed vigils condemning the aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The occupation police arrested a young woman after suppressing a protest in the city of Haifa.

A security source in the city of Kirkuk, 250 km north of Baghdad, stated that a force from the Popular Mobilization Forces was able to repel an attack by militants of the so-called Islamic State ( ISIS ) targeting their positions in a village southwest of the city, and clashed with them with various weapons, which led to the death of a member of the crowd and the injury of Three others were wounded.

Captain Muhammad al-Bayati of the Kirkuk police told Xinhua today (Wednesday) that the militants of the organization (ISIS) attacked this evening the positions of the Popular Mobilization Forces near the village of al-Multaqa, southwest of Kirkuk, indicating that the crowd responded to the attack and clashed with the attackers with various types of weapons and forced them to flee.

He added that the clashes resulted in the death of a member of the Popular Mobilization Forces and the wounding of three others.

On December 9, 2017, Iraq announced the expulsion of ISIS members and the imposition of full control over all Iraqi lands, but sleeper cells affiliated with the organization are still active in some regions of the country. /n

The European Union expressed its dissatisfaction with the Israeli occupation forces' storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling for preserving the legal status of the holy places.

"The European Union is closely following the course of events in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories," said Peter Stano, a spokesman for the European Commission.

Today, Wednesday, the official spokesman for the presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh , said, " The Israeli occupation insists on continuing the desecration of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and creating an atmosphere of escalation, instability and tension."

He added in a statement: "What Israel is doing in terms of storming the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacking worshipers is a blow to the American efforts that have tried during the last period to create a state of calm and stability in the blessed month of Ramadan."

Abu Rudeineh stressed that what happened this evening in Al-Aqsa Mosque in terms of attacking worshipers, which comes as a continuation of the brutal attacks that took place yesterday, confirms beyond any doubt that the extreme right-wing Israeli government wants to drag the region into further deterioration and instability.

On Wednesday evening, the Israeli occupation forces arrested two citizens from Hebron and Jenin .

According to local sources, the occupation forces stormed Al-Aroub camp, north of Hebron, and arrested the child Baybars Nasser Jawabreh (14 years old) in front of his house.

In Jenin, Israeli forces arrested Khaldoun Omar Qassem (32 years old) from the town of Ojja, after summoning him to report to their intelligence services.

A number of civilians suffocated, this evening, Wednesday, during clashes with the Israeli occupation forces in various areas in the eastern Gaza Strip .

According to local sources, the occupation soldiers, stationed with tanks and behind the sandy hills on the border strip, east of the Gaza Strip, fired bullets and tear gas canisters at the protesting citizens, condemning the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, which led to the injury of a number of them to suffocation.

On Wednesday evening, citizens suffocated during clashes with the Israeli occupation forces in the town of Tuqu', southeast of Bethlehem .

According to local sources, the clashes broke out in the Khirbet al-Deir area on the main street, during which the occupation forces fired live bullets, poison gas and sound bombs, which led to the injury of a number of citizens.

A number of citizens were injured, this evening, Wednesday, during the Israeli occupation forces' raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque .

According to the Red Crescent, its crews dealt with 6 injuries, as they transferred two injuries to the hospital and provided ambulance for the rest of the injuries in the field.

The occupation forces surrounded the al-Qibli prayer hall and beat the worshipers with sticks, and fired stun grenades and poison gas at them to force them out of it, which led to a number of them suffocating.

Last night, the occupation forces stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, arrested more than 400 worshipers from inside it, inflicted injuries among the worshipers and those in retreat, and destroyed some of the contents of the Al-Qibli prayer hall inside the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

About 20,000 worshipers performed the Isha and Tarawih prayers in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque , this evening, Wednesday, despite the restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation .

Last night, the occupation forces stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, assaulted the worshipers and the worshipers inside, and forcibly removed them from it, after they fired poison gas and sound bombs inside its chapels, and arrested more than 400 worshipers.

On Wednesday evening, resistance fighters fired two missiles at an Israeli military site, in which the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Herzi Halevi , was present, at the borders of the southern Gaza Strip .

According to the Israeli Army Radio, one of the rockets landed near the Kissufim site, where Halevy was present to celebrate with the soldiers the Jewish "Passover".

It indicated that the other missile landed in an open area adjacent to the Eshkol compound.

And it indicated that the Iron Dome did not intercept the missiles, according to the established policy, because they fell in open areas.

Calm returned to the Temple Mount after violent clashes took place at night between Palestinian worshipers and the Israeli police , who arrested hundreds of them, following the storming of the courtyard by Jews on the eve of Easter, which they celebrate on Wednesday.

These confrontations came in an atmosphere of increasing tension between the Israelis and the Palestinians, especially during the month of Ramadan, when Muslims usually retreat to Al-Aqsa Mosque and perform night prayers there.

The Israeli police raid on the Temple Mount sparked a series of condemnations, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that his country was "committed to the status quo."

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip , called the move an "unprecedented crime."

Ismail Haniyeh , head of the movement's political bureau, called on the Palestinians to go to Jerusalem in order to "protect" Al-Aqsa Mosque.

As for Ziyad Al-Nakhala , Secretary General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, he saw that "what is happening in the mosque ... constitutes a serious threat to our sanctities."

The Palestinian presidency also warned "the Israeli occupation against crossing the red lines in the holy places," noting that this would lead to a "big explosion," as stated in a statement broadcast by the official news agency (Wafa).

The Secretary of the Palestine Liberation Organization , Hussein al-Sheikh, said that the "barbarity" in the "attack on worshipers" calls for "Palestinian, Arab and international action and putting everyone before their responsibilities to protect the sanctities and worshipers from the oppression of the occupation."

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned "the Israeli occupation police's storming of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Qudsi Al-Sharif and assaulting it and those who are in it," considering what happened as "a flagrant violation and a condemned and unacceptable act."

In a statement, it called on "Israel to remove the police and special forces from the Temple Mount immediately," warning of "this dangerous escalation."

The Islamic Endowments Council denounced the "brutal attack on those in i'tikaf" and called on "all Muslims... to rebuild the mosque by praying, worshiping and reading the Qur'an."

The council stressed that the mosque "has not and will not be closed to those who are in i'tikaaf."

For its part, the Israeli police announced on Wednesday morning that it had arrested "more than 350" people on the Temple Mount. However, Firas al-Jabrini, a member of the lawyers' team on behalf of the detainees, confirmed that the number of detainees ranges between 450 and 500 people.

Al-Jabrini confirmed that many of them were injured, most of them in the upper part of the body, especially in the head and eyes, while the Palestine Red Crescent Ambulance Society stated that its teams dealt with "25 injuries from those who were released" and "two of them were transferred to the hospital."

Al-Jabrini explained that "an unspecified number of them were released on the conditions of being removed from the mosque and the old town and appearing for investigation upon summons."

The same lawyer also confirmed the extension of the detention of "18 (Palestinian) detainees who hold an Israeli ID until they are brought to court, in addition to those who hold a Palestinian ID."

The Islamic Endowment Office said that calm has returned to the Temple Mount.

The Palestinians refuse the entry of Jews to the Temple Mount and pray there, and consider these "incursions" as a provocation to them.

In a statement, Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that Israel is committed to preserving "freedom of worship and free access (to mosque) for all faiths (...) and will not allow violent extremists to change this."

According to Netanyahu, there are "Israeli measures to preserve the status quo and calm people."

The Israeli Minister of Internal Security , Itamar Ben Gvir, praised the police for their "quick and firm action," accusing the worshipers, who were expelled from the mosque, of intending to "harm and kill policemen and harm Israeli citizens."

The Israeli police published video clips showing explosions apparently caused by firecrackers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, shadows of people throwing stones, and riot police advancing inside the mosque while they were sheltering from the explosives with protective shields.

The scenes also showed a fortified door and quantities of firecrackers on a carpet on the ground, while police officers led at least five people handcuffed.

A statement by the Israeli police said, "Several youths, among the outlaws and rioters, masked, entered the (Al-Aqsa) mosque with explosives, clubs and stones."

He added that "they barricaded themselves for several hours (...) to harm public security and destroy the mosque," while chanting "slogans inciting hatred and violence."

In response to the police storming the mosque, several rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip towards Israel, according to Palestinian security sources and AFP correspondents.

"Five rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israeli areas, and all of them were intercepted by the air defense system," the Israeli army said in a statement.

Later, Israeli warplanes launched raids on the Gaza Strip.

And renewed rocket fire from the Gaza Strip after the Israeli raids, while the Israeli warplanes launched raids again at around 06:15 (03:15 GMT). No Palestinian faction has claimed responsibility for the rocket fire so far.

The raids did not result in any casualties, according to medical sources.

But Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, "We will strike anyone who tries to harm us."

"We will pay him a heavy price, and we will make him regret threatening Israeli citizens or army forces," he added during his visit to the Iron Dome battery site in the south.

The White House expressed its "grave concern" about the violence in the Temple Mount in occupied East Jerusalem, and "urged all parties to avoid further escalation," a spokesperson said Wednesday.

Likewise, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his "shock" and "astonishment" at the level of violence used by the Israeli security forces against Palestinian worshipers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday night.

"The Secretary-General is shocked and stunned by the scenes he saw this morning of violence and beatings by Israeli security forces inside the Al-Qibli Mosque in Jerusalem, which took place during a period sacred to both Jews, Christians and Muslims, a period that should be of peace and non-violence," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. .

The League of Arab States warned Wednesday of "a spiral of violence that threatens stability in the region and the world." The League, whose council met in Cairo on Wednesday at Jordan's request, rejected "attempts aimed at changing the existing historical and legal status of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and dividing it temporally and spatially."

The Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the Kingdom, which has close relations with Israel, stresses "the need to respect the legal, religious and historical situation in Jerusalem and the holy places, and to refrain from practices and violations that would destroy all chances of peace in the region."

The statement renewed the expression of "the Kingdom of Morocco's rejection of such practices, which will only increase the complexity and tension of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories," noting that King Mohammed VI chairs the Jerusalem Committee concerned with preserving the Islamic character of the city.

Violence has escalated since the beginning of this year between Palestinians and Israelis, after a government considered one of the most right-wing in the country's history came to power in Israel.

Since the beginning of the year, the violence has resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people, most of them from the Palestinian side.

On Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his "shock" and "astonishment" at the level of violence used by the Israeli security forces against Palestinian worshipers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday night.

"The Secretary-General is shocked and stunned by the scenes he saw this morning of violence and beatings by Israeli security forces inside the Al-Qibli Mosque in Jerusalem, which took place during a period sacred to both Jews, Christians and Muslims, a period that should be of peace and non-violence," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. .

"Places of worship should be used exclusively for peaceful religious ceremonies," he added.

On Wednesday, calm returned to the Temple Mount after violent clashes took place at night between Palestinian worshipers and the Israeli police, who arrested hundreds of them.

The clashes took place after extremist Jews stormed the courtyard of the mosque, on the eve of the Jewish Passover holiday, which is celebrated on Wednesday.

These confrontations came in an atmosphere of increasing tension between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and during the month of Ramadan, when Muslims usually retreat to Al-Aqsa Mosque and perform night prayers there.

The Israeli police raid on the Temple Mount sparked a series of condemnations.

Violence has escalated since the beginning of this year between Palestinians and Israelis, after a government considered one of the most right-wing in the history of the Jewish state came to power in Israel.

The violence has resulted in about 110 deaths since the beginning of the year.