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Thousands of worshippers celebrate in tense Jerusalem as violence surges
- Christian Easter coincided with Jewish Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, against a backdrop of surging Israeli-Palestinian violence
- Also on Sunday, Israelis gathered for the funeral of British-Israeli sisters Maya and Rina Dee who were killed on Friday in the West Bank
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Thousands of worshippers held celebrations in a tense Jerusalem on Sunday, as Christian Easter coincided with Jewish Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, against a backdrop of surging Israeli-Palestinian violence.
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Leading Easter Mass at the Vatican, Pope Francis expressed “deep concern” on Sunday over the flare-up in tensions sparked by an Israeli police raid last week on Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest site.
Israel has since struck targets in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria in response to rocket fire mostly blamed on Palestinian militants. Separate attacks in the occupied West Bank and Israeli city of Tel Aviv have killed three people, including an Italian tourist.
On Sunday pilgrims crowded into the narrow alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old City, flanked by armed Israeli security forces deployed following the deadly attacks.
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Celebrants packed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.
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