In the waning days of Ramadan, Islam's third holiest site has become one of injury and violence, with hundreds of Palestinians sent to Jerusalem hospitals after Israeli police fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Palestinians hurling rocks in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Monday.
Al-Aqsa is behind only the mosques in Mecca and Medina - the Kaaba and the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Prophet's Mosque) - in terms of its importance in Islam, and is believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
United Nations envoys called on Israeli authorities to avoid escalating the situation during Muslim holy days: “We call on all sides to uphold and respect the status quo at the holy sites."
Since then, Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel’s destruction, has fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli targets, and Israel unleashed airstrikes Tuesday. At least 26 Palestinians and two Israelis have been killed. The call for Palestinians to be evicted from the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah has been a particular spark in the escalating tensions.
At Al-Aqsa, many photos - some taken days, some only hours, apart - show the contradictory experiences of peace and pain taking place at the site.
Bathed in light, clouded in tear gas
Muslims rest above, run below, the crimson carpet obscured by gas and debris.
Prayers on May 8. Islamic authorities estimated 90,000 people gathered for nighttime prayers at Al-Aqsa for Laylat al-Qadr:
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., tweeted:
"This is happening as Muslims pray tarawih & tahajud in Palestine. Families who pray all night during Ramadan, the mosque is like home. Palestinians deserve to find refuge in a mosque and peace in Ramadan. Where is the media coverage?"
Destruction on May 10:
Palestinians placed a Hamas flag on the mosque earlier on Monday. Hamas fired more than 250 rockets from Gaza starting Monday evening, including one that hit an Israeli apartment building, wounding six, according to the Israeli army.
Fewer than 200 meters from the mosque is the holiest site for Jewish prayer, the Western Wall, where many gathered on Monday, which was also the national holiday of Jerusalem Day. The annual parade was diverted from the area in an attempt to avoid escalating tensions.
Palestinians erected a makeshift barrier in the al-Haram al-Sharif compound.
Israeli authorities also took position. Palestinians threw stones, bottles and chairs and Israeli police used tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest U.S. Muslim civil rights organization, says Americans should demand lawmakers condemn the attacks at Al-Aqsa Masjid.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., shared: "I was 7 years old when I first prayed at the Al Aqsa with my city. It's a sacred site for Muslims. This is equivalent to attacking the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, or the Temple Mount for Jews."
The mosque, which is more than 1,000 years old, has a long history of being shaken by violence and targeted by both Christian and Jewish extremists, particularly including the larger compound beyond the mosque itself. When Israeli leader Ariel Sharon entered al-Haram in 2000 with more than 1,000 armed guards, Palestinians went to protest and were fired on by police, sparking a five-year Palestinian uprising.
The compound is known as Al-Haram al-Sharif or "Noble Shrine" and is also a sacred place for Jews, known as Temple Mount.
“In this microcosm of humanity’s spiritual diversity, different peoples worship the same places, sometimes under different names. The recognition, use of and respect for these names is paramount. The Al Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram al-Sharif, the sacred shrine of Muslims, is also the Har HaBayit – or Temple Mount – whose Western Wall is the holiest place in Judaism, a few steps away from the Saint Sepulcher and the Mount of Olives revered by Christians," Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General said of the site in 2016.