NEW YORK: An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has been called to discuss the Israeli attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The closed-door meeting of the UNSC has been called on the demand of the United Arab Emirates and China.
On Tuesday night, Israeli forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque and viciously assaulted dozens of Palestinian worshippers in occupied East Jerusalem.
The raid at Al-Aqsa started around 10 pm local time when heavily armed police officers were first spotted entering the site before firing tear gas and stun grenades into the Qibli prayer hall – the building with the silver dome – where hundreds of men, women, elderly people and children were staying overnight to pray.
The worshippers were forcibly removed from the site where they were peacefully observing the holy month of Ramadan.
Read more: Israeli police attack worshippers in Al-Aqsa Mosque
Itikaf at Al-Aqsa Mosque is not allowed by Israeli authorities outside of the last ten days of Ramadan, a ban that Palestinians refuse to comply with.
Israeli forces regularly empty the mosque of Palestinians outside the five Muslim prayers, especially overnight and after dawn prayer to ensure a smooth incursion of Israeli settlers which takes place daily around 7:30 am local time.