«Israeli» Settlers Attack Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound Again

Local Editor

"Israeli" settlers had stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in al-Quds [Jerusalem] in the latest incursion into one of the holiest sites in Islam.

At least 100 settlers broke into the compound through the Moroccans' Gate on Wednesday under the full protection of the "Israeli" entity's special police forces, the Maan news agency reported.

The Islamic Waqf, which manages the al-Aqsa Mosque affairs, held "Israeli" authorities responsible for the incursion and reneging on international laws.

The religious trust stated that al-Aqsa Mosque is revered by more than 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, and that the existing accords prohibit Jewish prayers at the mosque.

On Monday, the "Israeli" regime's Knesset [parliament] speaker Yuli Edelstein joined three cabinet ministers and three lawmakers to launch a lobby on changing the al-Aqsa Mosque status quo and permitting Jewish rituals there.

Meanwhile, an "Israeli" court in al-Quds had sentenced a 27-year-old Palestinian man to more than 16 years in prison over an alleged stabbing operation in October last year.

The court ruled on Wednesday that Miqdad al-Hih carried out the operation along with another Palestinian in the city of Beit Shemesh west of al-Quds on October 22, 2015.

Hih was critically injured after "Israeli" forces opened fire on him. The other Palestinian, identified as 20-year-old Mahmoud Khalid Ghneimat, was shot dead.

The occupied territories had been the scene of increased tensions ever since "Israeli" forces imposed restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in August 2015.

More than 250 Palestinians had been martyred by "Israeli" forces since the beginning of October 2015.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team