The occupying forces this morning turned the site’s courtyards into military barracks to secure settler raids during the Jewish Passover celebrations, official Wafa news agency criticized.
According to the Department of Islamic Endowments of Jerusalem, dozens of settlers entered the site and conducted provocative tours under the strict protection of uniformed men.
Various Arab TV channels are also reporting that the Israeli police have increased their presence in the Old City of Jerusalem, where the Temple Mount or Esplanade is located.
The troops erected several barriers inside the walls of the Old City and prevented Palestinian youth from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, Wafa criticized.
Tensions in the area have been escalating since Tuesday night following the order given to this armed body to evict the Palestinian worshipers present at the mosque at the time, as is customary during Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims. The area is revered by both Muslims, who call it the Noble Sanctuary, and Jews, who know it as the Temple Mount.
The police action has since sparked clashes inside and around the temple, drawing widespread international criticism, particularly in Arab and Muslim countries.
In response, Palestinian militias from Gaza and southern Lebanon fired rockets at Israel, provoking retaliation from that country.
After decades of agreements, Jews are only allowed to visit the site under numerous conditions, but not to pray.
However, under increasing pressure from the right-wing and ultra-Orthodox sectors, the number of followers of this religion trying to pray there has increased, which Muslims perceive as a provocation.
Israel occupied the eastern part of the metropolis during the 1967 war and has kept the area under its control ever since, despite UN Security Council resolutions.
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