Israeli special forces and police raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, via the Moroccan Gate, on Thursday morning.
Forces also stormed the Marawani and Dome of the Rock mosques, inside the compound.
An Israeli policeman also attempted to enter the Dome of the Rock mosque wearing a kippah; Israeli forces then imposed closure on the compound for several hours, having been heavily deployed across the compound since early morning.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque.
The third holiest site in Islam, it is also venerated as Judaism’s most holy place, as it sits where Jews believe the First and Second Temples once stood.
While Jewish visitation is permitted to the compound, non-Muslim worship at Al-Aqsa is prohibited according to an agreement signed between Israel and the Jordanian government, after Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.
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