JERUSALEM / ANKARA 

Hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, under the pretext of marking 77 years since the establishment of Israel.

A Palestinian official with the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said nearly 350 illegal Israeli settlers entered the flashpoint site under Israeli police protection since the morning, performing provocative Talmudic rituals on the mosque's eastern side.

Witnesses said the settlers entered through the Al-Mugharbah Gate area, west of the holy mosque, and that more are expected to storm in the afternoon.

The settlers' provocation follows calls from several Israeli groups to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque on Independence Day.

Independence Day, marking the 1948 establishment of Israel, coincides with Palestinian commemorations of the Nakba, referring to the mass displacement of Palestinians during that period when Zionist gangs carried out massacres against civilians.

Since 2003, Israel has allowed illegal settlers to enter the flashpoint compound almost every day, except Fridays and Saturdays.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is one of the three holiest sites for Muslims around the world, and Jews refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.