By Anadolu staff
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Thursday strongly condemned Israel for installing iron barriers at three gates leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem.
In a statement, the ministry said the Israeli move is an attempt to change the historic, legal, and political reality of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
It considered installing the iron barriers as a flagrant violation of international law and Israel's obligations as the occupying power towards places of worship.
The ministry called for international intervention "to stop Israel's infringement on Jerusalem and its Christian and Muslim sanctities."
The Palestinian Hamas group also slammed the Israeli move and said it is a "vicious attempt" to prevent worshippers from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan.
Early on Thursday, the Israeli police said it installed what it described as reinforcements to its personnel at the gates leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque, and denied putting obstacles in front of worshippers.
Israel has restricted access of Palestinian worshippers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque amid growing tensions across the occupied West Bank due to Tel Aviv’s ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack, which has left more than 31,300 people dead since last October.
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 in a move never recognized by the international community.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar