Over 1,600 illegal Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Wednesday, according to Palestinian agency
Islamic authorities in Jerusalem on Wednesday condemned “assaults” by Jewish extremist groups on the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem.
In a statement, the authorities highlighted that these violations occurred as part of celebrations marking the so-called Jerusalem Day, in reference to Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.
Palestinians accuse Israel of intensifying efforts to Judaize East Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erasing its Arab and Islamic identity.
They hold firm to East Jerusalem as the capital of their hoped-for state, citing international resolutions that do not recognize Israel's occupation of the city in 1967 or its annexation in 1981.
The statement said assaults by Jewish extremist groups included “flagrant violations such as performing Talmudic rituals, dancing, shouting, and waving flags, all under the protection of the Israeli police.”
The Islamic authorities also denounced the gatherings of Jewish extremist groups at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, attacks on residents and desecration of Muslim graves in the Bab al-Rahma cemetery, located on the eastern wall of the mosque.
The statement also condemned Israeli restrictions that prevented thousands of Muslim worshippers from reaching the mosque.
More than 1600 illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Wednesday, the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem said in a statement.
According to the agency, an illegal settler waved the Israeli flag as he entered the flashpoint site, a provocative act that heightened tensions.
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 after a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.
At least 527 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,000 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio
