JERUSALEM

Hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers on Wednesday stormed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to mark the Jewish Passover holiday.

In a statement, the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said nearly 703 illegal settlers, who were protected by the Israeli forces, stormed the mosque.

Passover, which commemorates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt during the time of Prophet Moses, is considered one of the most important holidays on the Jewish religious calendar.

The Israeli forces imposed restrictions on the movement of Palestinians inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex during the settlers' tour in its courtyards, the statement said.

Witnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli forces were heavily deployed inside the mosque to secure the settlers who entered the mosque in groups from the Al-Mugharbah Gate area, west of the holy mosque.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

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

Meanwhile, the Israeli army also shut the flashpoint Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, south of occupied West Bank, and opened it for settlers to also mark the Jewish holiday, Palestine's Wafa news agency reported.

Revered by both Muslims and Jews, the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex is believed to be the burial site of the prophets Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Tensions have been running high across West Bank since Israel launched a military offensive on the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

Israel also stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to prevent genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza, where more than 34,100 people have been killed.

The onslaught has also led to internal displacement, wide-scale destruction and conditions of famine in the besieged enclave.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara