RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL

Illegal Israeli settlers staged 27 intrusions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem last month, official data showed on Wednesday.

The Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs said in a monthly report that Israeli forces and illegal settlers stormed the flashpoint site, performed Talmudic rituals and dances, and offered plant sacrifices within the mosque courtyards in October.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, along with a number of Knesset members, also raided the mosque to mark a Jewish holiday last month, the ministry said.

Since assuming his post in 2022, Ben-Gvir has forced his way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex 13 times, including 10 times since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, according to the ministry.

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

The ministry also said that the Israeli army prevented the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Old City of Hebron in the occupied West Bank 96 times last month.

According to the report, the Ibrahimi Mosque witnessed the raising of Israeli flags, provocative tours by the Israeli forces, and the placement of religious equipment, including Torah stands, wooden cutters, plastic chairs, tents, loudspeakers, and musical instruments.

Israeli attacks have escalated across the occupied West Bank since October 2023, killing more than 1,065 Palestinians and injuring nearly 10,000 others, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.