OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Dozens of settlers stormed, on Wednesday morning, courtyards of al-Aqsa Mosque from the Mughrabi Gate accompanied by Israeli soldiers, preventing Palestinian worshipers from entering it.

A state of tension prevailed in al-Aqsa Mosque due to the repeated settlers' incursions into the mosque from the Mughrabi Gate under the protection of the Israeli occupation police, while imposing tight restrictions on the entry of Palestinian youths into the mosque, the Al-Aqsa Foundation for Waqf and Islamic Heritage said.

The foundation added that the Israeli occupation forces prevented on Wednesday, worshipers of all ages from entering al-Aqsa mosque, which led to verbal altercations between young people and Israeli policemen, resulting in the arrest of the young Hazem Kassas, 30, from the old town, and the security guard of Quds University.

The Israeli occupation policemen stationed in the al-Aqsa mosque drove a number of elderly worshipers out after confronting the invading settlers by chanting "God is great."

A Mosque security guard confirmed that verbal altercations occurred before the worshipers left the mosque fearing being arrested or banned from entering the mosque forever.

In a related context, The Israeli occupation police stationed at the mosque's gates prevented women from entering the mosque from all gates as a reaction to their protest at the settlers' incursions into the mosque yesterday.

On the other hand, the Israeli police tightened its security measures at al-Aqsa Mosque gates, where they checked the worshipers' identity cards and held them until they came out of the mosque.