Scores of Israeli settlers force their way into Al-Aqsa

Scores of Israeli settlers forced their way into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on May 23, according to a Palestinian agency.

In a statement, the Jordan-run Islamic Waqf Department, which oversees the holy sites in Jerusalem, said 127 settlers entered the complex under police protection for the first time in three weeks.

According to eyewitnesses, Israeli police barred Palestinian youths from entering the site since dawn and imposed restrictions on the entry of worshippers into the complex.

Six people, including four mosque guards, were detained by Israeli police, the Islamic Waqf Department said.

The department earlier said that 50 Israeli settlers had stormed the site.

Meanwhile, the head of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism Party, Moshe Gafni, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to keep the flashpoint compound closed to Jewish visitors, according to the KAN channel.

The U.N. Security Council on May 22 welcomed announcement of a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and urged full adherence to the truce.

"The members of the Security Council welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire beginning 21 May and recognized the important role Egypt, other regional countries, the U.N., the Middle East Quartet and other international partners played in this regard. The Security Council called for the full adherence to the ceasefire.," the council said in a statement.

"The members of the Security Council mourned the loss of civilian lives resulting from the violence," the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council stressed the immediate need for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly in Gaza, and supported the...