By Anadolu staff
JERUSALEM (AA) – More than 400 illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday amid restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshippers into the site, according to a Palestinian agency.
“Some 423 illegal settlers stormed the complex, with some settlers waving the Israeli flag,” the Jordan-run Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said in a statement.
“The Israeli police dealt nicely with the settlers who waved the flag of the Israeli occupation,” it added.
According to the agency, Palestinian worshippers of all ages were denied entry into the mosque.
“Some Palestinian youth and women were forced out of the mosque by an Israeli officer without any apparent reason,” the statement said.
There was no Israeli comment on the statement.
Following calls by extremist Israeli groups, illegal settlers staged intrusions into the mosque complex to mark Israel's creation.
Since 2003, Israel has allowed illegal settlers into the flashpoint compound on an almost daily basis with the exception of Fridays and Saturdays.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying 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 in a move never recognized by the international community.
Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a military offensive on the Gaza Strip that killed more than 35,100 Palestinians since last October following a Hamas attack that killed nearly 1,200 people.
Israel also stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to prevent genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar