Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia condemned on Sunday the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque's courtyards by Israeli settlers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

In its statement, the ministry said that the Israeli settlers' storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque is considered a gross violation of international law and the historical and legal status quo in the occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and its sanctities.

The continuous violations and attacks on the holy sites would exacerbate the tension, which will push the situation into a continuous cycle of violence, the ministry noted.

The Ministry has stressed and called on the international community to assume its responsibilities to end the escalation of the Israeli occupation.

It also called on the international community to provide the necessary protection for civilians and to make all efforts that contribute to ending this protracted conflict.

A total of 1,292 Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday, under heavy security from the occupation army.

Saudi Arabia had condemned and denounced on Saturday the aggression of the Israeli occupation forces on the Gaza Strip, which caused heavy losses among innocent civilians.

The Palestinian presidency has warned that the Israeli escalation in Gaza, Jerusalem, and Jenin has crossed all red lines.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health revealed that the Israeli military operation had killed 31 people in Gaza, including women and children, and injured about 253 others.

Sirens were sounded on Sunday morning in the Jerusalem area for the first time since the start of the armed escalation between Israel and the Islamic Jihad movement in Gaza, while the Islamic Jihad movement announced that it fired rockets at Jerusalem.

It is worth mentioning that the fighting began with Israel’s killing of a senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement in a wave of strikes on Friday.