JERUSALEM

 Israeli forces withdrew from occupied East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday following fierce clashes with Palestinian Muslim worshipers that left several of the latter injured, according to a Palestinian official.

“Israeli Special Forces and police withdrew from the mosque compound after four hours of clashes [with Palestinian worshipers],” Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, director-general of Al-Aqsa affairs, told Anadolu Agency on Monday.    

Following the withdrawal, he added, Israeli police stationed at the gates of the compound began allowing Palestinians back into the area after taking their identification cards.

Early on Monday, dozens were injured after Israeli security forces used teargas and rubber bullets to disperse Muslim worshipers inside the mosque compound, according to witnesses.

“At least 170 Israeli Special Forces troops and policemen forced their way into the compound through the Al-Magharabeh gate and began firing rubber bullets and stun grenades,” al-Khatib said.

In the wake of the incident, he added, an elderly Palestinian man had been taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. 

Israeli forces also stormed the compound’s Al-Qibali Mosque, where they also used force to disperse Palestinian worshipers, several of whom were detained.

According to the Israeli police, seven Palestinians were arrested from inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque itself, while two others were detained near the Al-Silisila Gate.  

Jewish extremists had called on followers to storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Some extremist Jewish groups have called for the demolition of the Al-Aqsa Mosque so that a Jewish temple might be built in its place.

In September 2000, a visit to Al-Aqsa by controversial Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked what later became known as the "Second Intifada," a popular uprising against the Israeli occupation in which thousands of Palestinians were killed.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state in a move never recognized by the international community.