Hundreds of Israeli settlers escorted by policemen broke into holy al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday morning triggering tension across Occupied Jerusalem.
Israeli police troops led 312 settlers as they stormed al-Aqsa Mosque via the Maghareba Gate and performed sacrilegious rituals off the Dome of the Rock as part of the four-hour morning break-in shift.
Hordes of Israeli settlers are expected to show up at the site during the afternoon break-in shift.
At the same time the Israeli police came down heavily on Muslim women as they attempted to enter the site to perform their daily prayers. Other worshipers have been subjected to intensive searches and dozens more have had their IDs seized.
Recently Israel’s so-called temple mount organizations stepped up calls for mass break-ins at al-Aqsa Mosque to mark the ten-day Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
