RAMALLAH / Anadolu Agency

The Israeli army closed on Tuesday King Faisal Gate, one of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, for half an hour, under the pretext of carrying out military drills.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa said that 'the Israeli occupation forces closed the gates of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque'.

The agency quoted unnamed local sources as saying that 'the occupation forces closed the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, under the pretext of carrying out military drills'.

In turn, the Jerusalem Governorate stated in a statement that 'the occupation forces closed King Faisal Gate, one of the gates of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, for half an hour, in conjunction with the execution of drills inside the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque'.

It added: 'The occupation forces also imposed strict measures and restrictions on the rest of the mosque's gates, hindering the movement of worshippers entering and leaving during the closure period.'

This comes at a time when Israeli violations in Al-Aqsa Mosque are escalating, as the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said in a report on Sunday that the occupation forces stormed Al-Aqsa 26 times during the past month of June.

According to the report, 4,212 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque through the Magharba Gate during the morning and evening incursion periods, under the protection of Israeli forces.