Israeli troops on Tuesday (5/6/2018), detained 12 Palestinian pilgrims from inside the Al-Aqsa mosque yard in East Jerusalem, according to a Palestinian official.
"Dozens of Israeli police raided the compound and arrested 12 Palestinians while reading the Koran in the mosque grounds," said Firas al-Dibs, spokesman for Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, told Anadolu Agency.
No details are available why the 12 Palestinians were arrested.
Meanwhile, about 53 Jewish settlers have been forced into flashpoint sites since morning, according to al-Dibs.
The number of settlers who invaded the mosque is expected to increase, "he said.
For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the third most sacred site in the world. The Jews, for their part, referred to the area as "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two ancient Jewish temples.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. The country then annexed the city in 1980, claiming to be the capital of a Jewish state in a move never recognized by the international community
