Dozens of Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

By Ekrem Biceroglu

ISTANBUL (AA) – Dozens of radical Israeli settlers on Thursday morning forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem.

In a statement, Jerusalem Islamic Waqf said the Israeli settlers forced their way into the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque and attempted to perform a religious ceremony.

The Israeli police increased the number of personnel at the compound to ensure the safety of the Israeli settlers, it added.

On Wednesday, nearly 400 settlers broke into the mosque courtyard under police protection.

The settler intrusions came as Israel is commemorating its national day, which marks the country’s creation on the rubble of Palestine. Palestinians call the day “Nakba,” or the Catastrophe.

Tension has mounted across the Palestinian territories since earlier this month when Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa complex and forcibly removed worshippers from the site.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two ancient Jewish temples.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.