Hamas outraged over 'indecent' photo of woman at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Hamas expressed outrage on Wednesday over what it claimed were "indecent" social media photos of a woman at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem.

The woman, who was reported to be a Spanish tourist, wore a low-cut green dress with a split in it that in one image showed one of her legs while she sat on steps at the compound.

"The desecration of the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by a Zionist extremist, and the publication of indecent pictures of her there, constitute an unprecedented provocation against the feelings of our Palestinian people and the entire Arab and Islamic umma [nation]," Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem was quoted as saying by pan-Arab newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi.

Hamas, the Palestinian group which has controlled the besieged Gaza Strip since 2007, did not provide evidence that the woman was a Zionist extremist.

Other Palestinians expressed anger at the incident at Al-Aqsa, which is the third-holiest site in Islam and the most-sacred Muslim place in Palestine.

There was no indication, however, that any offence was intended and the original photo appears to have been deleted, though others have shared it elsewhere.

Another picture shows the woman at Al-Aqsa in the same dress but with her upper body covered by another item of clothing.

Tensions always run high regarding Al-Aqsa since Israeli forces and settlers often storm the site, including during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Palestinians consider the raids part of an attempt to strip Jerusalem of its Palestinian character and replace it with an Israeli one.