JERUSALEM (AA) – More than 100 Israeli soldiers and 20 Jewish religious students stormed the Aqsa Mosque compound in the city of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) on Tuesday, according to the Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage.
In a statement, the foundation, which is devoted to protecting Al-Aqsa’s Arab and Islamic identity, said 30 Israeli intelligence agents had stormed the compound through the Magharbah Gate and “inspected the Ceilinged Mosque, the old Al-Aqsa, the Marwani Mosque and the Dome of the Rock Mosque.”
In recent weeks, groups of Jewish settlers, often accompanied by Israeli security forces, have entered the Aqsa Mosque complex – considered Islam’s third holiest site – on an almost daily basis.
The frequent violations anger Palestinian Muslims and occasionally lead to violent clashes in the mosque compound.
Jews refer to Al-Aqsa as the “Temple Mount,” claiming the area was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.
