Arab states condemn Israeli settler raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque compound amid Gaza massacres

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and others have condemned another Israeli settler raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, which comes amid days of brutal bombing of the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

Hundreds of settlers, including at least one lawmaker, stormed the Muslim holy site under police protection on Sunday morning as Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza.

The extremists prayed in the courtyard and waved Israeli flags, an action that breaks Palestinian-Israeli agreements on the sanctity of the site and is seen as incitement by Palestinians.

It comes as at least 43 people, including 15 children were killed in the Israeli bombing in Gaza.

Statement | Qatar Strongly Condemns Settlers Storming Al-Aqsa Mosque#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/GJM8MoCAbR

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) August 7, 2022

A number of Arab states condemned the provocative raid on the third-holiest Muslim site and the brutal attacks on the heavily-populated besieged Palestinian enclave.

"The State of Qatar expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the storming of dozens of settlers in the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces," the Qatar ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.

"The ministry calls on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities towards Jerusalem and its sanctities to deter the occupation's attempts to turn the conflict into a religious war."

Saudi Arabia also condemned the storming of the mosque and called for the international community to ensure the protection of Palestinian citizens.

The MFA "expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's condemnation of the storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli settlers [is a] serious violation of international law and the historical and legal situation in Jerusalem and its holy sites," it said.

Saudi Arabia stresses "that the ongoing violations and attacks on holy sites exacerbate tension and push the situation into a continuous cycle of violence".

Kuwait condemned the storming and also called on the international community to protect Palestinian civilians.

Turkey "strongly condemned... fanatical" settlers for storming the mosque compound and the killing of civilians in airstrikes on Gaza.

Turkey's relations with Israel have been tested in recent years, over the mistreatment and killing of Palestinians.

The African Union also slammed Israeli "airstrike attacks" on the Gaza Strip.

Dozens of Palestinians were killed in three days of Israeli attacks, including 15 children, on the Gaza Strip, which has suffered a devastating Israeli siege for more than a decade.

Israeli settlers regularly storm the compound, inflaming tensions and putting the lives of Muslim worshippers at risk.