Unidentified vandals yesterday set fire to the Bab Al-Rahma cemetery, east of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in the occupied Old City of East Jerusalem, Al Resalah reports the newspaper.
This came amid daily break-ins by Israeli Jewish settlers in the cemetery during which they defiled the graves. A few days earlier, a large brick from the south wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque fell under the Al-Qibli prayer hall.
Israeli excavations under the Al-Aqsa Mosque led to the collapse of the southern part of the cemetery, activists said, warning that the cemetery had been intensely targeted by settlers since 2017.
Specialists revealed secret Israeli plans linked to the theft of the southern part of the area, located near the Mughrabi gate, from where settlers repeatedly stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Specialists revealed that secret Israeli excavation work began under the bunker in 2018, noting that several historic tiles collapsed in 2020.
Israeli occupation authorities have prevented any renovations to the bunker since the 1967 Israeli occupation and annexation of East Jerusalem, Al Resalah said.
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