JERUSALEM/ ISTANBUL

Scores of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday under heavy protection from Israeli police, a Palestinian official said.

The official from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, who preferred not to be named, told Anadolu that 109 illegal settlers entered the mosque during the morning period and after the noon prayer.

He said the incursions took place through the Moroccan Gate on the western side of the mosque in groups and under police protection, and performed prayers and Talmudic rituals inside the flashpoint site.

Since 2003, Israeli police have allowed illegal settlers to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound despite repeated objections from the Islamic Waqf, which administers the site.

Violations at the complex have increased since far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir assumed office as Israel’s national security minister in late 2022, with Ben-Gvir and other ministers and members of the Knesset participating in such visits, Palestinian officials said.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying 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.