After imposing strict restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshippers into Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, harassing them, and forcibly expelling them for the second day from the Muslim holy compound, Israeli police this morning opened the plaza of Al-Aqsa Mosque for dozens of Jewish fanatics to storm it under heavy police protection. The occupation forces stormed the compound in the morning, deployed in its courtyards, and removed the elderly Muslim worshippers who were in the Mosque area from the vicinity of Al-Qibli Mosque as groups of Jewish fanatics prepare to storm the compound. Eyewitnesses said that the fanatics stormed Al-Aqsa in the form of groups of 50 persons each and carried out provocative walks in the courtyards while performing Jewish rituals in violation of the status quo that bans non-Muslims from holding prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, also known as Al-Haram Al-Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary. These incursions came hours after the occupation forces stormed Al-Aqsa yards during the nightly Ramadan Tarawih prayers, assaulting the worshipers and preventing them from staying inside the walled compound, forcing them to leave Al-Qibli mosque. The so-called Temple Mount organizations had called on their followers to organize large-scale mass storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Jewish Passover holiday that will last until next Wednesday, that move that provoked Muslim sentiments who rushed to protect their Mosque from the fanatics. Since the dawn hours, the occupation police imposed restrictions on the entry of Palestinians to the courtyards of Al-Haram Al-Sharif, and prevented those under the age of 40 years from entering and praying in Al-Aqsa, forcing them to pray outside it. The occupation forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque the night before last after the Tarawih and Fajr (dawn) prayers and brutally assaulted the worshipers in Al-Qibli prayer hall and forcibly removed them from it, which sparked local, Arab and international reactions rejecting and condemning these incursions.
Source: Palestine News & Information Agency (WAFA)