Alwaght- Hundreds of Palestinians have been injured after Israeli regime forces attacked worshipers entering al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied Old City of al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The mosque war re-opened al-Quds after the Tel Aviv regime bowed to protests by Palestinians and international pressure to remove humiliating and restrictive measures against worshippers entering the third holiest site in Islam.
The measures, which included installation of metal detectors, turnstiles, and additional surveillance cameras, had been imposed following the July 14 attack when three Palestinians opened fire on Israeli occupation forces at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, killing two of them before being shot dead.
As the call to prayer sounded from al-Aqsa Mosque again, thousands of men, women and children made their way to the compound on Thursday.
Palestinian Red Crescent released a statement saying that some worshipers were treated for rubber-coated steel bullet injuries and tear gas inhalation, while others were physically assaulted and pepper sprayed by Israeli regime forces.
Israeli troops also took down the Palestinian flags that worshipers had raised atop Al-Aqsa Mosque in celebration when they entered the compound.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Minister of Waqf (Endowment) and Religious Affairs Sheikh Yousef Id'es has called on Palestinians to hold Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque.
He said the Israeli regime’s decision to remove controversial new security measures, installed after the July 14 attack, clearly showed that Palestinians were capable of defending their legitimate right of sovereignty over al-Quds and al-Aqsa Mosque.
On July 14, three Palestinians opened fire on Israeli forces at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, killing two of them before being shot dead.
Id’es added that Palestinians must have religious freedom in al-Quds, and pray at al-Aqsa Mosque without the fear of getting arrested.
The occupied Palestinian territories have witnessed new tensions ever since Israeli forces introduced restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshippers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds in August 2015.
Over 300 Palestinians have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces in the ongoing tensions since the beginning of October 2015.
Over the past decades, the Israeli regime has tried to change the demographic makeup of al-Quds by constructing illegal settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population.
The al-Aqsa mosque, which lies in the Israeli-occupied Old City of al-Quds, is a flashpoint and is Islam’s third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina.
