By Abdelraouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli police on Tuesday detained five Palestinian women in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The women were detained near Al-Rahma gate of Al-Aqsa Mosque, said the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, a Jordan-run organization responsible for overseeing the city’s Islamic and Christian sites.
The Israeli police gave no reasons for the detention.
The Islamic Waqf identified the detained women as Islam Manasra, Samah Mahameed, Nafisa Khuais, Mali Eid and Naheda Salah -- sister of Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel.
The detention coincided with Israeli settlers breaking into Al-Aqsa Mosque under Israeli police protection.
Over the past months, Israel intensified its persecution of Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara.