JERUSALEM

Israeli police on Friday stormed Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa complex and attacked worshippers after morning prayer, according to eyewitnesses. 

Thousands of Palestinians performed morning prayer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, to affirm their devotion to it and their refusal to the Israeli incursions.

As the prayer ended, the worshipers came out chanting "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great), before a large group of police forces stormed the mosque and started beating and chasing them.

The assault resulted in injuries among worshippers who were treated in the field.

Commenting on the incident, Israel police said: "With the end of the prayers at the Temple Mount, hundreds of worshipers marched in protest, during which they chanted national slogans and violated order in place."

"The police forces dispersed the order violators in the Temple Mount," Israeli police said.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war.

In a move never recognized by the international community, Israel annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as the self-proclaimed Jewish state’s “eternal and undivided” capital.

Sacred to Muslims, Christians and Jews, Jerusalem is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which for Muslims represents the world's third holiest site. Jews refer to the area as the “Temple Mount,” claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times. The complex also includes Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the most sacred Christian sites in the world.