"Israeli police forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque and fired stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets at Palestinian worshippers inside the holy site," the Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage said in a statement. Earlier in the day, a Palestinian guard of the site said that Israeli policemen had stormed the complex and fired stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets at Palestinian worshippers. "Dozens of Israeli policemen stormed Al-Aqsa compound through Al-Magharbeh Gate and attacked worshippers," the guard told Anadolu Agency on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to media. "The Israeli police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets in a bid to force the worshippers out," he said, adding that the worshippers responded by hurling the Israeli troops with stones and shoes. According to the guard, the attack came to open room for Jewish settlers to force their way into the holy site on the Jewish anniversary of the so-called 'destruction of the temple,' which would fall on Tuesday.
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 was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming Jerusalem as the unified capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state.