Netanyahu, ministers, thousands of Israelis enter Western Wall plaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, several ministers and thousands of Israeli occupiers entered the Western Wall plaza in occupied East Jerusalem amid tight security, the Jerusalem Governorate of Palestine said early Sunday.

The governorate said in a statement that thousands of Israeli occupiers entered the plaza after passing through Wadi Street in the Old City.

The governorate said the entry followed calls for prayers and religious rituals at the Gate of Mercy, one of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque. It noted that large numbers of Palestinians had come to the area to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque and shop in the Old City.

It encouraged Palestinians to come to Al-Aqsa Mosque to counter occupiers' incursions and "thwart the occupation's plans" as Yom Kippur, one of Judaism's major religious observances, approaches.

Israel controls the Western Wall, citing its importance as a Jewish holy site. The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Administration and the Jerusalem Governorate said the wall is part of the Islamic holy sites.

The Western Wall plaza, which Israeli authorities keep open around the clock, hosts religious ceremonies, prayers and official Israeli events. Security checks and searches are conducted at entrances.

Israeli groups had called on supporters to gather outside the Gate of Mercy to perform prayers known as "Selichot" ahead of Yom Kippur, which begins on Sept. 21.

The Jewish holiday period began with the Hebrew New Year on Sept. 12-13 and will continue with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, on Sept. 21; Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2; and Simchat Torah, marking the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle, on Oct. 3.

Since 2003, Israeli police have unilaterally allowed Israeli occupiers to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, according to the statement.