Settlers Continue to Raid Al-Aqsa, 2 Female Students Detained

Israeli police took into custody, early on Wednesday, a photojournalist and two female students from Al-Aqsa Islamic School at Al-Silsila gate.Police deployed forces in the early morning hours, in the vicinity of the mosque, erected military checkpoints and barred all women and Islamic school students from entering the mosque for the third consecutive day, while guarding groups of Israeli settlers who stormed the mosque.

Azmi Al-Draini, the media activist of Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem Affairs Center ‘Ciobrs’ reported that the Israeli police arrested the photographer, Said Rokn near Al-Silsila gate, and two female students from the Islamic school and took them to the ‘House of Yahoo’ police station.

In the same context, Al Ray further reports that around 27 Israeli settlers and Jewish students stormed, early Wednesday, Al-Aqsa’s yards from the gate of Al-Maghariba, under tight police security.

The group of settlers provocatively roamed the area, but Palestinian worshipers confronted them with chants of ‘Allahu Akhbar! (God is Greatest!)’.

Israeli police have recently stepped up their assault on women and students in the mosque by preventing them from entering it, and beating them. Meanwhile, they require men to hand over their identity cards at the gates and forbid them from staying inside for long periods of time.

Palestinian observers warned from the slope of the political scene at Al-Aqsa to the lowest level, mainly after the escalation in tightening control over the mosque.

Also, the control of movement of the entrants, and the violation of its sovereignty through the prosecution of the guards and the staff of the Islamic Waqf, harassing and arresting them more often.

Extremist Israeli settlers and politicians have lately been violating the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque on an almost daily basis and always under the protection of armed occupation forces, which often attack Palestinian worshipers who try to protect their holy site.