JERUSALEM, July 22 (JMCC) - Israeli forces are training for clashes at the al-Aqsa mosque, reports a Palestinian religious center.

Hundreds of troops were photographed conducting training exercises in a cordoned area made to resemble the al-Aqsa mosque courtyard, said the al-Aqsa Foundation based in Jerusalem. The exercises were conducted in the remote area of Ben Shemen in Israel.

When the organizations fieldworkers were approached by a representative of the border guards and asked why they were filming the exercises, the team asked the goal of the training.

The Israeli officer replied that the troops were training for possible clashes during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Jerusalem's holy sites saw clashes in March earlier this year when the Islamist group Hamas announced days of rage to protest Israeli settlement in occupied eastern Jerusalem.