Several groups of extremist Jewish settlers under police protection desecrated the Aqsa Mosque on Thursday morning, while Israeli soldiers prevented hundreds of Palestinians from entering the Mosque to defend it and fend off the attackers.

The Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage said that a state of tension is now prevailing among the Palestinians in occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as a result of the repeated Jewish violations of the Aqsa Mosque's sanctity.

The foundation affirmed that the Palestinian worshipers, who have been inside the Aqsa Mosque and its buildings for days to protect it, clashed with the invading troops and settlers who stormed the Mosque from Al-Maghariba Gate.

The armed Israeli policemen detained three Palestinians from the 1948 occupied lands during the confrontations as well as the Mosque warden, the foundation said.

A large number of Israeli troops and policemen have tightened the blockaded on the Aqsa Mosque from inside and outside and barred all Palestinians from going in.

An Israeli special force was also seen encircling the Aqsa Mosque with the grey dome and closing its doors in the early morning hours while the Palestinian worshipers locked up inside were heard chanting "Allah the Greatest."

Extremist Jewish groups from Kiryat Araba had declared their intent yesterday to organize a mass break-in at the Aqsa Mosque in order to strengthen Israel's sovereignty over their alleged temple mount and purity it from Muslims.

Meanwhile, in a related context, Al-Quds international institution warned of an Israeli scheme to divide the Aqsa Mosque as already happened with the Abrahimi Mosque in Al-Khalil city.

In a press release on Wednesday, Al-Quds institution added that this scheme started with the current spate of break-ins at the Aqsa Mosque.

Information director of the institution Hisham Yakoub said the Aqsa Mosque would be exposed to a mounting wave of break-ins by Jewish settlers in the next few weeks.

"The extremist Jewish groups are racing against time to achieve its goal of dividing the Aqsa Mosque between Muslims and Jews as soon as possible, because they feel that the coming stage is not to their advantage especially after the outbreak of revolutions in many Arab countries," Yakoub added.

"The bet today is on the Arab peoples whose spark of revolutions should reach occupied Jerusalem," he underscored.

PIC/AB