The Western Wall Tunnel riots were the first armed clash between the IDF and the newly formed Palestinian National Security Forces, resulting in 75 total casualties.
Key Facts
- Start date
- 24 September 1996
- Duration (primary)
- 4 days
- Palestinians killed
- 59
- Israelis killed
- 16
- Trigger
- Opening of second entrance to Western Wall Tunnel
- Spread
- West Bank and Gaza
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
On 24 September 1996, the Israeli government opened a second entrance to the Western Wall Tunnel in the Via Dolorosa, located within the Muslim Quarter of Old Jerusalem. Palestinians viewed this as a provocation threatening Muslim holy sites, sparking immediate protests in the city.
Demonstrations beginning in Old Jerusalem rapidly escalated into violent confrontations between the Israeli Defence Forces and the newly established Palestinian National Security Forces. Over the following days, riots spread from Jerusalem across cities and towns in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, marking the first direct armed clash between the two forces.
The four-day conflict left 59 Palestinians and 16 Israelis dead, with hundreds more wounded. The riots underscored deep tensions over control of holy sites and the fragile nature of the Oslo peace process, straining relations between Israeli and Palestinian authorities during a critical period of the peace negotiations.
Political Outcome
Riots suppressed after four days of primary violence; 59 Palestinians and 16 Israelis killed; tensions over holy site access persisted