Israeli forces detain three Palestinian children in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israeli forces detained three Palestinian children in the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, occupied East Jerusalem, on Thursday evening, according to the Palestinian Authority's news agency Wafa.

The arrests came as Israeli forces detained at least 15 civilians in an ongoing arrest campaign across the occupied West Bank on Thursday and rounded up five more Palestinians during overnight raids that followed on Friday.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam while the Dome of the Rock is revered by Muslims worldwide as the location from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. 

The holy site is often subjected to raids by Israeli settlers and far-right extremists who want to build a temple on the site. Israeli soldiers often escort the settlers on their raids.

Israel has been conducting near-daily arrest raids in the West Bank for months, which it says were prompted by a spate of deadly attacks against Israelis earlier this year that killed 19 people.

Last week, a Palestinian man was beaten by Israeli police whilst on his way to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Yousef Adi, 36, said that he suffered a broken nose and required four stitches on his forehead after last Thursday’s beating close to the holy site.

Adi, a West Bank resident who works as a technician at Palestine TV, said he had all the necessary Israeli permits to enter Jerusalem. Inside the Old City, he said officers arbitrarily detained him and dragged him against a wall and beat him.

"I did nothing except shout at them to leave me alone and stay away from me," he said. "But then more policemen came and began hitting me everywhere on my body."

Adi said the beatings were so severe that he was hospitalised.