Dozens of Israeli settlers and intelligence officers forced their way into al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday morning under the protection of Israeli police.
Spokesman for Jerusalem’s Islamic Awqaf Department Feras al-Dibs said that the Israeli police in the early morning hours deployed their forces in al-Aqsa courtyards in preparation for the scheduled visit.
Al-Dibs told Quds Press that 82 Israeli settlers entered the Mosque roamed its courtyards and performed Talmudic rituals near the Dome of the Rock.
He added that seven Israeli intelligence officers broke into the Mosque during the same period.
Al-Aqsa Mosque was closed late on Friday and Palestinian worshipers were prevented from performing evening prayers in the holy site following an alleged stabbing attack near the Mosque.
A Palestinian young man identified as Ahmad Mahamid from Umm al-Fahm city in the 1948 occupied Palestine was shot dead at al-Majles Gate near al-Aqsa Mosque for allegedly attempting to stab an Israeli soldier.
