The Israeli occupation police on Tuesday morning arrested a Jerusalemite citizen working as an Islamic Awqaf guard at the Aqsa Mosque.

According to local sources police officers arrested Aqsa guard Isam Najeeb during his usual work in the Mosque’s courtyards.

Later the police released him on condition of staying away from the Aqsa Mosque and its gates for seven days.

Meanwhile the Israeli police allowed a number of Jewish settlers to enter the Mosque and tour its courtyards despite the lockdown on the holy city

For the third consecutive day the Israeli occupation authority has been imposing a tight lockdown on the holy city at the pretext of preventing the spread of coronavirus.

However Jewish settlers are still allowed to enter and defile Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque during the lockdown.

The Israeli occupation police on Thursday morning arrested one of the Aqsa Mosque’s guards.

According to local sources Israeli police officers rounded up Aqsa guard Isam Najeeb after he opened the Mosque’s Bab al-Rahma prayer area and took him to one of its stations in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Meanwhile about 56 Jewish settlers desecrated the Aqsa Mosque’s courtyards under police guard in the morning.

The Islamic Awqaf Authority in Jerusalem said that scores of police officers and about 36 settlers entered the Mosque through the Maghariba Gate and toured its plateaus.

The Aqsa Mosque is exposed to daily desecration by Jewish settlers in the morning and the afternoon except on Fridays and Saturdays.

The Israeli police close al-Maghariba Gate which is used by Jews to enter the Mosque at 10:30 am after the settlers complete their morning tours at the holy site. Later in the afternoon the same gate is reopened for evening tours by settlers.

During the presence of settlers inside the Mosque compound entry restrictions are imposed on Muslim worshipers at the entrances leading to the Mosque and their IDs are seized until they leave the holy place.