The fighting spread through other parts of Gaza, despite the midday call for Ramadan prayers, before subsiding in the late afternoon.

Some schools make exceptions for Tarawih (optional Ramadan prayers) or for a congregation consisting only of close relatives.

Syrian troops also assaulted Binnish in an apparent reprisal for large-scale "night rallies after Ramadan prayers", according to a local resident, leaving four villagers reported dead.

But news of the clash inflamed Palestinians, who viewed it as a deliberate assault on Muslim worshipers, who were concluding a day of Ramadan prayers and fasting.

About 3,300 police officers have been deployed in Jerusalem since Thursday to maintain order during Ramadan prayers.

On the northern outskirts of Bethlehem, where Palestinians were stopped at police checkpoints from reaching Ramadan prayers in Jerusalem, a 16-year-old was shot and killed near Rachel's Tomb, a fortified Jewish shrine.

On 28 August 2011, a suicide bomb attack on Umm al-Qura Mosque in Baghdad during Ramadan prayers killed 29 and injured 38 people.

Soon the mosque held the five daily congregational prayers, Jumu'ah prayers, Ramadan prayers (Taraweeh & Tahajjud) and Eid prayers.

Since he was a hafidh, he was invited by the imam of a large mosque to lead Ramadan prayers.

He had also announced that he was a believer in Islam and followed this up with a visit to the mosque to participate in the Ramadan prayers.