ISTANBUL

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Wednesday led illegal settlers in storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem under protection from Israeli police, the Palestinian official news agency Wafa said.

Illegal settlers, led by Ben-Gvir, entered the mosque’s courtyards, carried out provocative tours, and performed Talmudic rituals coinciding with the second day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, eyewitnesses said.

Israeli authorities imposed strict measures around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and its gates, deploying large reinforcements of police and security forces to secure the settlers’ incursions.

The Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem said that 1,300 illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday morning.

This comes a day after more than 500 illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday, it said.

Incursions into the mosque compound typically escalate during Jewish holidays, and visits by ministers and members of the Knesset take place with the approval of the Israeli prime minister following requests submitted for that purpose.

Palestinians affirm that Israel is intensifying its crimes to Judaize East Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to erase its Arab and Islamic identity.

The incursions into Al-Aqsa have increased alongside Israel's genocidal war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, as well as military offensive in the occupied West Bank.