Palestinians have started a campaign calling for volunteers to help protect Al-Aqsa Mosque from the frequent Israeli attacks and violations.

Activists told Quds Press that the campaign aims to halt the continuous raids on the mosque carried out by the Israeli authorities and settlers, adding that the attackers had assaulted and detained many of the mosque’s guards and worshippers.

Yesterday, occupation forces arrested four security guards at Al-Aqsa Mosque while they were preventing Jewish archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority from stealing an ancient mosque stone. Later in the day, Israeli police raided the homes of seven other guards and arrested them.

Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the occupation police detained six Al-Aqsa guards who are registered at the Department of Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem today.

Al-Aqsa, the third-holiest site in Islam, has been raided several times by the Israeli settlers and police officers. The Jewish community claim the mosque compound to be the site of the old Jewish temples, referring to it as the Temple Mount.

Last October, the UNESCO Executive Council adopted a final resolution that considers Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Buraq Wall (Western Wall) to be a holy place for Muslims only, while denying any Jewish ties to the holy site. The resolution, which criticised Israel’s policies regarding the mosque, recognised Israel as an “occupying power”.

[Source: Middle East Eye]