JERUSALEM

Far-right Jewish settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday in occupied East Jerusalem, according to an official from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf.

More than 340 fanatical Jews entered the Haram al-Sharif area under Israeli police protection in the morning.

After the noon prayer, 86 Jewish settlers raided Masjid al-Aqsa. They performed religious rituals in the courtyard during the raid.

Yehudah Joshua Glick, former Likud Party deputy, attended the raid accompanied by Israeli police.

Israeli fanatic groups called for a raid on Masjid al-Aqsa on the pretext of "the anniversary of the destruction of the temple," which they claimed to have occurred in the past.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two ancient Jewish temples.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar