A Palestinian non-governmental organization (NGO) says the al-Aqsa Mosque in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) witnessed an atmosphere of heightened tension caused by Israelis in the month of July.

“The al-Aqsa Mosque was subject to an unprecedented escalation in July,” the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, an NGO that tracks intrusion on the holy site, said in a statement on Monday.

The statement added that about 930 Israeli settlers and a large number of Israeli troops forced their way into the mosque compound in July.

“Al-Aqsa witnessed closures, break-ins and assaults against Marabouts and worshippers by the occupation forces and settlers,” the NGO added.

The information center also said that men, women, children and the elderly in East al-Quds were subject to different types of assaults during July.

The statement went on to say that more than 130 individuals were arrested in the city last month, adding that half of the detainees were children and women.

It also explained that most of the arrests were made in the occupied Old City of al-Quds and Silwan, with 43 arrests in each area.

The Israeli regime forces, according to the NGO, attacked Palestinian worshippers with sound grenades and rubber bullets, and destroyed commercial and residential establishments in the city.

The al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a flashpoint holy Islamic site. The mosque is Islam’s third holiest after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

A report published on Sunday by the Ahrar Center for Prisoners’ Studies and Human Rights said that at least six people were killed across the occupied West Bank while one Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the besieged Gaza Strip last month.

Israeli forces regularly launch deadly attacks on Palestinians in their homes as well as during protests.

By Press TV