Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have condemned an Israeli raid on the Bab al-Rahma, or Gate of Mercy, prayer area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, Anadolu news agency reported.

Palestinian media reports said Israeli occupation forces damaged light fixtures and electrical systems during the raid on Saturday, which came as Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Hazim Qasim, a spokesperson for Hamas, said the raid was a continuation of Israel’s “religious war against the holy sites in Jerusalem.”

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The struggle to preserve the “Arab-Islamic identity” of Al-Aqsa Mosque will continue undeterred, Qasim said in a written statement.

Islamic Jihad spokesperson Tarek Silmi said the raid was yet another aggression in Israel’s “war on Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

“Attempts by the (Israeli) occupation administration to take control of the mosque will never succeed,” Silmi asserted.

Earlier this month, Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex and forcibly removed Muslim worshippers, escalating tensions across the Palestinian territories.

The raids triggered rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, while Israel retaliated with airstrikes.

(MEMO, PC)