Tension ran high in al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday morning after an Israeli police officer raised the Israeli flag at the time when dozens of settlers stormed the holy shrine.
More than 80 Israeli settlers protected by Israeli police forced their way into the Mosque compound via the Al-Magharbeh Gate and performed Talmudic rituals.
During the raid one of the policemen hoisted the Israeli flag on to his shoulder in total provocation to Palestinian worshipers and al-Aqsa guards who started shouting Takbeer.
The Islamic Endowments Department strongly condemned the provocative act.
In recent months groups of Jewish extremists often accompanied by Israeli police forces repeatedly broke into al-Aqsa compound. The frequent violations anger Palestinian worshipers and occasionally lead to violent confrontations.
