Israeli soldiers abducted, on Monday at night, a young Palestinian man in occupied East Jerusalem, after dozens of soldiers invaded the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, amidst extensive military deployment in the area.
The invasion into the courtyards of the mosque were largely made through the al-Magharba Gate, and the soldiers harassed many young men, before abducting one, shortly after evening prayers.
The soldiers also invaded and searched the courtyards, and some of the mosque’s buildings, looking for Palestinians who remain in the holy site to prevent proactive tours by fanatic Israeli groups, conducted under heavy accompaniment of the police.
Dozens of soldiers have also been deployed around the mosque, in addition to the streets and alleys of the Old City, while many Palestinians have been stopped, harassed and searched, and were prevented from entering holy Muslim site.
The soldiers also held the ID cards of many Palestinians, who were allowed into the mosque, to ensure their departure later.
Meanwhile, fanatic Israeli groups, including the so-called Temple Mount Movement, have called for increasing the invasions and provocative tours into Al-Aqsa, and are planning larger tours, while many Islamic organizations have called on the Palestinians to head to the mosque, and remain there.
On Tuesday, the soldiers abducted two Palestinians from the northern West Bank governorate of Tulkarem; one was abducted at a roadblock near Qalqilia, and one from his work in Jerusalem.
The soldiers also detained two photojournalists, working for the WAFA Palestinian news agency, and the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), in Hebron’s Old City of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.
