Scores of Jewish settlers forced their way into Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Wednesday, according to a Palestinian agency.
"Around 123 settlers backed by Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa compound since early morning," said the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, a Jordan-run agency responsible for overseeing the city's Muslim and Christian holy sites.
Settlers swarmed into the site via the Al-Maghariba Gate, usually guarded by Israeli police.
Earlier on Wednesday, at least two Palestinians were martyred in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza Strip.
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The situation escalated in Gaza early Tuesday after an Israeli airstrike killed Bahaa Abu al-Atta, the commander of the Islamic Jihad resistance group. His wife Asmaa Abu al-Atta was also killed.
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 Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem -- in which Al-Aqsa is located -- during the 1967 Middle East War. It formally annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as its capital -- a move never recognized by the international community.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
