Thousands of Palestinians march in solidarity in Gaza against the 'Judaisation' of al-Aqsa mosque

The march was called on by the Palestinian Youth Movement and started off from central Gaza City towards the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross (IRC), Maan News reported. 

The spokesperson of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Luay al-Qarnuti gave a speech at the march, in which he expressed his concern at the "Judaisation of al-Aqsa mosque."

Qarnuti called it "an organised plan to take control over the mosque and work on its spatial and temporal division". 

Meanwhile, the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh sent a letter to the leaders of various Arab and Islamic countries, stressing the seriousness of the Israeli assault at al-Aqsa.

Haniyeh called for activating the resolutions issued by the League of Arab States and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which further strengthen the steadfastness of the people of Jerusalem. He urged Arab governments with "strong credentials" to take action and pressure Israel to halt its assault.

Since last Friday, a number of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces across Jerusalem and the West Bank in some of the worst street violence in years.

Three Israeli settlers were also stabbed to death in a settlement north of Ramallah.

On Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would halt security coordination with Israel until the walk-through metal detectors at the al-Aqsa mosque are removed, fuelling fears of an escalation.

"If Israel wants security coordination to be resumed they have to withdraw those measures," Abbas said in a speech on Sunday, referring to the metal detectors.

"They should know that they will eventually lose, because we have been making it our solemn duty to keep up security on our side here and on theirs."

On Tuesday, Israel removed the metal detectors, hoping to defuse deadly violence set off by the installation of the new security measures. A work crew could be seen in the early hours of Tuesday removing the metal detectors at the Lion's Gate of the holy site.

A statement from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office said that metal detectors would be removed and replaced with "security inspection based on advanced technologies and other means".

The statement failed to elaborate on the form the future smart security measures will take.

Security coordination has long been a cornerstone of PA-Israel relations, largely to crackdown on Hamas and mass protests, leading to widespread hostility among the Palestinian public.