JERUSALEM, Dozens of Israeli settlers, escorted by heavily armed Israeli police, today stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, according to local sources.

Some 120 settlers forced their way into the holy site and toured its courtyards, further aggravating tensions in the occupied city.

Jerusalem has recently seen protests and night-time confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian worshippers, with tensions mounting over the police decision to ban people from sitting on the stairs outside Bab al-Amoud, also known as Damascus Gate, under the guise of implementing the coronavirus restrictions, and its decision to disconnect the power supply to the call to prayer at the mosque compound.

The tensions further simmered following the forced expulsions of Palestinian families from their houses in Sheikh Jarrah.

For many Palestinians in Jerusalem and across the occupied Palestinian territory, Ramadan is directly connected to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque and is considered the third holiest site in Islam.

Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories that have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency