Christian worshippers travelling to a sacred event were attacked by Israeli soldiers.

Israeli forces on Saturday beat Christian worshippers heading toward the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a holy site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. This comes after the Greek Orthodox Church accused Israeli police of infringing on the freedom of worshippers with “heavy-handed” restrictions on how many pilgrims can attend the “Holy Fire” ceremony, an ancient ritual that sparked tensions this year. The Greek Orthodox patriarchate has lambasted the restrictions as a hindrance of religious freedom and called on all worshippers to flood the church despite Israeli warnings. The dispute over the church capacity comes as Christians in the Holy Land say that Israel’s most right-wing government in history has empowered Jewish extremists who have escalated their vandalism of religious property and harassment of clergy. The dispute over the Orthodox Easter ritual has been fueled in part by a rare convergence of holidays in Jerusalem’s bustling Old City.

Muslims fasting for the 24th day of the holy month of Ramadan were gathering for midday prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third-hol Israeli forces on Saturday beat Christian worshippers heading toward the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a holy site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. This comes after the Greek Orthodox Church accused Israeli police of infringing on the freedom of worshippers with “heavy-handed” restrictions on how many pilgrims can attend the “Holy Fire” ceremony, an ancient ritual that sparked tensions this year. The Greek Orthodox patriarchate has lambasted the restrictions as a hindrance of religious freedom and called on all worshippers to flood the church despite Israeli warnings. The dispute over the church capacity comes as Christians in the Holy Land say that Israel’s most right-wing government in history has empowered Jewish extremists who have escalated their vandalism of religious property and harassment of clergy. The dispute over the Orthodox Easter ritual has been fueled in part by a rare convergence of holidays in Jerusalem’s bustling Old City. Muslims fasting for the 24th day of the holy month of Ramadan were gathering for midday prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third-hol