Ramallah, April 20 (Petra)-Dozens of Israeli special forces on Sunday stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque from Bab El Magharbeh and Bab Al Selseleh gates and fired stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinians stationed inside the compound.
Director of Al-Aqsa Mosque Sheikh Omar Kiswani told a Petra that some 400 Israeli soldiers broke into the mosque to secure the storming by Jewish settlers of the Muslim site.
Violent confrontations erupted between the Palestinians stationed inside the mosque and the Israeli soldiers who used stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets against them.
Kiswani explained that a large group of Jewish settlers entered the compound, led by the Israeli extremist MK Moshe Vigln, under the protection of the Israeli police.
Another group of extremist settlers also stormed the mosque, creating a state of tension inside the compound of the holy Muslim shrine.
Israeli soldiers attacked Palestinians stationed inside the mosque with batons and pepper spray, Kiswani added.
Palestinian sources reported that Israeli soldiers arrested one Palestinian after they attacked and severely beat him.
"Israeli forces prevented Palestinians, including students, women and young people, from entering the sanctuary and sprayed them with pepper and attacked them with batons", the sources added.
//Petra// S KH
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