Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound backed by Israeli forces

Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday in occupied East Jerusalem backed up by heavily armed forces.

Dozens of settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa and partook in what local activists described as "provocative tours", before leaving it from the side of Bab al-Silsila, local reports said.

At least 54 settlers stormed the Mosque, adding that the occupying forces arrested Nasser Abu Aker, an employee of the Construction Committee at Al-Aqsa, the Waqf Department in occupied Jerusalem, told Arabi 21.

An Israeli soldier reportedly urinated near Bab al-Rahma, also known as Gate of Mercy or Golden Gate, in the Al-Aqsa compound, an endowment source added.

Tension escalated across the Palestinian territories last month when an Israeli court ruled to forcefully drive out Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in favour of settler groups.

The situation worsened after Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque and assaulted worshippers inside.

Tensions spread to the Gaza Strip, with Israel launching a campaign of relentless bombardment that killed at least 260 Palestinians, including 66 children and 39 women, and injured more than 1,900 others.

Al-Aqsa mosque is the third holiest place in Islam and a key Palestinian national symbol.

Muslim worshippers' access to al-Aqsa and the adjoining Dome of the Rock is controlled by Israeli security forces.

It is located in occupied East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.