Palestinians accuse Israelis of burning Quran as settlers storm Al Aqsa

Burnt copies of the Quran were found near the Qaytoun mosque in Hebron’s Old City, which is completely under the Israeli army's control.

No clashes are reported between Israeli settlers and Palestinian worshippers at Al Aqsa Mosque complex.
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No clashes are reported between Israeli settlers and Palestinian worshippers at Al Aqsa Mosque complex.

A Palestinian official has accused Israeli settlers of burning copies of the Quran, Islam’s holy book, in the West Bank city of Hebron.

"Burnt copies of the Quran were found near the Qaytoun mosque in Hebron's Old City," Nidal Al Jabari, the director of Waqf Department in Hebron, told Anadolu Agency on Monday.

He suggested that the copies were burnt during celebrations of a Jewish holiday in recent days, calling for an investigation into the incident.

There was no comment from Israeli authorities on the allegation.

Palestinian group Hamas, which rules Gaza, termed the act as "unprecedented" and a "provocation of sentiments of Muslims".

Hebron's Old City is completely under the Israeli army control where nearly 400 Israeli settlers live in settlement outposts guarded by some 1,500 Israeli soldiers.

According to the Hebron Protocol of 1997 signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hebron was divided into two main areas H1 and H2.

H1 area is controlled by the Palestinian Authority while H2, which includes the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Old City, is under the Israeli control.

Under international law, the West Bank, including Hebron, is a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel in 1967.

READ MORE: Israel reports shooting at East Jerusalem checkpoint

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Al Aqsa complex stormed

Meanwhile, hundreds of Israeli settlers forced their way into the flashpoint Al Aqsa Mosque complex in the occupied East Jerusalem, according to a Palestinian agency.

In a statement on Monday, the Jordan-run Islamic Waqf Department, which oversees the holy sites in Jerusalem, said 216 settlers entered the site in groups under Israeli police protection.

No clashes were reported between Israeli forces and Palestinian worshippers. 

Al Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Since 2003, Israel has allowed settlers into the compound almost daily.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognised by the international community.

READ MORE: Palestinians in occupied territories face one of deadliest years on record

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