Tension has gripped the Middle East after Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to clear Muslims from the compound so that Jews can enter on Rosh Hashanah, or Jewish New Year.
Muslims had gathered for morning prayers when Israeli police stormed the complex, according to officials from the Islamic Waqf, the department tasked with administering the mosque.
The officials said the Muslim faithful were pushed out of the site as Jewish extremists waited close to a nearby entrance, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
Israeli police manning the eight gates on the way to Al-Aqsa stopped Muslims below 40 years old and students from accessing schools within the compound.
Meanwhile, Jewish extremists carried out acts of worship in violation of the longstanding status-quo agreement that governs the site.
Radical Israeli groups have urged their supporters to raid Al-Aqsa on Monday and over the coming weeks as Jewish religious holidays are observed.
Palestinians consider Israeli raids at Al-Aqsa, which are a common occurrence, part of an attempt to change the status-quo agreement and either transform the compound into a wholly Jewish site or split it between the two faiths.
Palestinian and Islamic leaders have urged Muslim believers to maintain a constant presence at Al-Aqsa to stop this.
Israel has strengthened its forces’ numbers in Jerusalem and encouraged its citizens to be constantly armed while marking the Jewish religious festivals, according to Wafa.
