Attacking Palestinian worshippers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Israeli occupation forces is a brutal, racist behaviour and a blatant breach of all humanitarian laws and norms that guarantee people’s right to worship, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qasem said.

Qasem’s remarks came after heavily-armed Israeli occupation forces broke on Friday dawn into the al-Aqsa Mosque complex and atrociously assaulted Palestinian worshippers, injuring at least five of them and arresting three others.

“The brutality of Israeli occupation police will not dissuade Jerusalem’s residents from performing prayers and defending the al-Aqsa Mosque,” Qasem added. “This popular fight is continuous to defend Jerusalem’s identity and future.”