Palestinians protest Israeli settler intrusions into Al-Aqsa complex

By Nour Abu Eisha
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Palestinians staged a rally in Gaza City on Wednesday to protest Israeli settler intrusions into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem.

“We reject all Israeli raids and measures in Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Ahmad Hamad, a spokesman of Hamas’ student wing, which organized the rally, told Anadolu Agency.

“Our students rally today in support of Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem city,” he added.

Tension has been running high across East Jerusalem in recent days as hundreds of Israeli settlers visited the flashpoint site to celebrate 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 had been 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.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar