“The Israeli authorities barred all Palestinian men under the age of 50 - and a large number of women - from entering the mosque compound,” Sheikh Azzam Al-Khatib, head of the Jordanian-run Organisation for Muslim Endowments and Al-Aqsa Affairs, responsible for overseeing the mosque, told the Anadolu Agency.
“Israeli forces erected barriers outside Jerusalem’s Old City and closed all the gates of the mosque except for the Al-Silsila and Al-Nather gates,” he said.
Al-Khatib added that some 40 Jewish settlers – backed by Israeli security forces – forced their way into the mosque compound yesterday.
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.
Tensions have run high in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since Israeli settlers, backed by security officials and senior government officials, began storming Al-Aqsa on an almost daily basis clashing with Muslim worshippers.
Middle East Monitor