Jerusalem protests: Israel launches air strike on Gaza amid violent clashes, 'injuring at least 14 people' - as it happened

Follow the latest live as hundreds of extra Israeli police respond to Hamas’ call for Palestinian day of rage

Israeli forces stand guard in Jerusalem's Old City on 8 December 2017 (AFP/Getty Images)

All eyes were on Jerusalem’s Old City for anticipated protests on Friday in the wake of Donald Trump’s decision to recognise the city as the capital of Israel.

Israelis and Palestinians alike braced themselves for a day of rage called for by various Palestinian political groups to protest the US’ move.

On Friday morning the city’s streets were quiet but hundreds of extra police patrolled the city centre in anticipation of protests after midday prayers.

And as people poured out of mosques in the West Bank for peaceful planned marches, hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in the West Bank cities of Hebron, Bethlehem and Ramallah.

Strikes and demonstrations are expected across Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories, as well as solidarity protests throughout the region and wider Muslim world, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan.

More than 50 people were injured in low-level clashes across the West Bank on Thursday. Friday, the Muslim holy day, is usually a bellwether for further violence in the intractable conflict.

The Israeli authorities often impose age limits on access to Jerusalem's al Aqsa mosque barring younger men during periods of increased tensions, but the compound remained open to all on Friday.

Officers would respond to any disruptions, Israeli police said.

The contested city of Jerusalem is claimed by both sides as their capital and control of it is one of the major stumbling blocks to a lasting peace deal in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Mr Trump broke away with decades of existing US policy and the terms set out in the 1993 Oslo peace accords in his Wednesday announcement that the US would recognise the holy city as Israel’s capital and relocate its embassy there from Tel Aviv.

Though the US administration insisted that the move acknowledges “current reality”, the symbolism has been taken to mean that the US has sided with Israel in the intractable conflict.

The US has been seeking to resurrect talks between Israel and the Palestinians since Mr Trump took office. The president has previously described brokering an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict “the ultimate deal”.

While welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and many other world leaders have expressed concern the controversial move could spark renewed violence in the Middle East and serve as a call to arms for Islamic extremist movements such as Isis and al Qaeda.

Several US allies - including the UK, France and Saudi Arabia - have publicly disagreed with the move.

On Thursday, Hamas’ leader Ismail Haniyeh called on the Palestinian people to rise up in a new intifada.

“We should call for and we should work on launching an intifada in the face of the Zionist enemy,” he said in a speech from Gaza.

“This will not stop until the liberation of Jerusalem and the West Bank,” he added.

Hamas made no mention of utilising its own arsenal to attack Israel, but fears of violence in the volatile region continue to grow.

Observers remain hopeful the relatively low levels of violence seen during protests on Thursday mean Friday will also pass without major incident.

Key Points

3pm: Second Palestinian man killed in clashes with Israeli security forces

[8 December 2017 19:56 · Steve Anderson]

The Israel Defense Forces have said that they carried out an air strike "to response to the projectiles fired at Israel from Gaza today". An official Twitter account posted that Israeli aircraft "targeted a Hamas training compound".

[8 December 2017 20:09 · Steve Anderson]

The Palestinian Health Ministry has claimed at least 25 people were wounded in the Israeli strikes, including six children.

The Israeli military said it had carried out the strikes on a militant training camp and on a weapons depot in response to rockets fired earlier from Gaza at Israeli towns. 

[8 December 2017 20:49 · Steve Anderson]

The Israeli army has said that a rocket fired from Gaza has landed in an Israeli town.

[8 December 2017 21:13 · Steve Anderson]

The IDF said the rocket hit the Southern Israeli city of Sderot.

[8 December 2017 21:16 · Steve Anderson]

Israel's UN ambassador is urging all nations to follow the United States and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 

Danny Danon told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on President Donald Trump's announcement, that "recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital is a critical and necessary step for peace." 

He stressed that "there will never be peace without Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel. And that will never change." 

Mr Danon said that 3,000 years ago King David declared Jerusalem the capital of the Jewish people. He held up the replica of a coin from 67 AD which says "Jerusalem the Holy," noting that three years later the Jews were sent into exile for 2,000 years. 

Mr Danon said "the United States had the courage, and the sound moral judgment, to right these historic wrongs, and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel." 

[8 December 2017 23:17 · Steve Anderson]

Here is our final report on the day:

[8 December 2017 23:17 · Steve Anderson]

We are ending out coverage for now, thank you for reading.