292 Israeli extremist settlers Sunday raided the compounds of al-Aqsa mosque in the occupied city of Jerusalem under heavy protection from the Israeli police, sources said.
According to the Islamic Waqf, the settlers, including Jewish students, raided the holy Islamic site, through the Dung Gate (Bab al-Maghariba) and performed Talmudic rituals in its compounds.
Since 2003, the Israeli occupation authorities have been allowing settlers into the compound almost on a daily basis, with the exclusion of Friday, the Muslim day of rest and worship.
The Islamic Waqf has repeatedly described the settlers’ presence in Al-Aqsa Mosque as provocative, saying that Palestinian worshippers and guards at Al-Aqsa feel uncomfortable with the presence of Israeli police and settlers touring the Islamic holy site.
Israel captured East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the Six-Day War in 1967 in a move never recognized by the international community.
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency