Israeli troops raid al-Aqsa Mosque compound

OCCUPIED-AL-QUDS: Israeli troops raided the al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday, after a 10-day cooling of tensions at the holy site, Israeli police said.

The Israeli police said they had repelled "dozens of rioters" who had been "throwing stones and other objects" at the security forces. An AFP correspondent said there was a large police presence in front of the mosque, while the Palestinian Red Crescent had yet to report any casualties from the violence.

The brutal raid came on the anniversary of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine in 1948, which followed a tense period in which the Muslim fasting month of Ramazan, the Jewish festival of Passover and the Christian holiday of Easter overlapped.

Since mid-April, Israeli police have wounded nearly 300 Palestinians at the flashpoint al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Palestinians have been angered by an uptick in Jewish visits to the compound, where by long-standing convention Jews may visit but are not allowed to pray.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has said the Jewish state "will not change" this status quo. Last week, Hamas threatened Israel with rockets and attacks if Israeli forces carried out further raids on the site. "You should be ready for a great battle if the (Israeli) occupation does not stop attacking al-Aqsa Mosque," said Yahya Sinwar, Hamas chief in the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian enclave.