The Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas said on Tuesday that the Israeli occupation is exploiting normalisation agreements with some Arab countries to escalate its violations against the al-Aqsa Mosque and demolish further Palestinian homes in Jerusalem.

“Storming Al-Aqsa Mosque by dozens of Israeli settlers early this morning and the plans of some extremist Jewish groups to carry out a mass raid in the Muslim compound next Thursday are the outcomes of normalisation deals with the Israeli occupation,” Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latifa al-Qanoa said.

In a press release, al-Qanoa called on Palestinian citizens of Jerusalem to defend the al-Aqsa Mosque against arbitrary Israeli measures and policies.