AL-QUDS — Israeli police stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday as an expected increase in Jewish visitors to the site over the Sukkot holiday boosted tensions.



Police also fired tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinians who had pledged a day earlier to “defend” Al-Aqsa.



Sources in the Jordanian-run organization that administers the site, the Waqf, said police stun grenades provoked four fires inside the building that were brought under control.



The Palestinian Red Crescent reported 22 people wounded, with three hospitalized after being hit by rubber bullets, including one person struck in the face while inside the mosque.



Dozens of officers were deployed, including on the mosque’s roof. Muslim worshipers who were at the compound after morning prayers as the raid began were forced to leave by police and all gates used by Muslims to enter the site were closed.



Regular visits by non-Muslims permitted between 7:30 am and 11:00 am were then allowed to go ahead, according to police, with 450 tourists and 24 Jews visiting. Calm later returned to the site.



A campaign by a hardline Jewish minority to build a new temple at the Al-Aqsa site has further stoked suspicions.



Brief clashes had also broken out on Sunday, and afterwards young Palestinian protesters were seen preparing to “defend” the mosque during Jewish holiday of Sukkot.



Visits by Jews were stopped and age restrictions on Muslim men entering the compound lifted during Eid Al-Adha. However, a ban on Muslim men under 50 was re-imposed as Sukkot started.



Israel seized east Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, in 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community. — AFP