Israeli forces storm al-Aqsa Mosque, dozens injured

JERUSALEM

Dozens of Palestinians were injured on Monday after Israeli security forces attacked Muslim worshipers inside occupied East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, according to witnesses.

“At least 170 Israeli special forces and police stormed the compound through Al-Magharabeh gate and started firing rubber bullets and stun grenades,” Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, director-general of Al-Aqsa Affairs, told Anadolu Agency.

Al-Khatib added that an elderly Palestinian man was taken to the hospital in critical situation. Israeli forces also stormed the Al-Qibali Mosque, attacked Muslim worshipers and arrested seven others.

Israeli Jewish extremists had called for storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa Mosque complex 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.

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 – a move never recognized by the international community.

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.