Palestinians rally in Gaza against settlers' incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Hundreds of Palestinians rallied in Gaza on Monday to protest incursions by Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem.

The rally was held in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza upon calls by the Hamas resistance group, which has ruled Gaza since 2007.

Speaking at the rally, senior Hamas leader Mushir al-Masri said Israel is seeking to impose a new reality in Al-Aqsa Mosque.

"We will not allow the (Israeli) occupation to infringe upon Al-Aqsa or to impose any plan" against it, al-Masri said.

He reiterated that the continued incursions by settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque "will ignite the (entire) region."

Earlier on Monday, the Jordan-run Islamic Waqf Department said in a statement that 1,142 Israeli settlers guarded by police forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex through the Al-Mughrabi Gate to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Sukkot is a weeklong holiday which started Sept. 29 and will continue until Oct. 6, ending a season of Jewish holidays that began by observing the Rosh Hashanah (New Year) holiday on Sept.15.

Roads leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque witnessed attacks by Israeli police on worshipers, preventing them from entering the mosque.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

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

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar