JERUSALEM

More than 1,300 Jewish settlers and Israeli security forces stormed East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound last month, according to a Palestinian official.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

“Around 1,178 settlers and 184 intelligence officers forced their way into the holy compound in November,” Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, director-general of Al-Aqsa Affairs, told Anadolu Agency on Saturday.

Also in November, Israeli forces killed one Palestinian in East Jerusalem and carried out sweeping arrest campaigns, targeting Palestinian residents in the Israeli-occupied city.

According to Wadi Hilweh Information Center, Israeli forces detained 167 Palestinians, including six women and 80 minors.

During the same period, the Palestinian NGO cited the demolition of 17 Palestinian structures in Jerusalem by Israeli authorities on claims of lacking permits.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, in which the Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Middle East War. It formally annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as its capital in a move never recognized by the international community.

Reporting by Anee Barghouti; Writing by Aness Suheil Barghoti;