Hundreds of Israeli settlers forced their way into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem, according to a Palestinian official.
The official with the Jordan-run Islamic Waqf Department told Anadolu Agency that the settlers entered the site through the mosque’s Al-Mugharbah Gate under Israeli police protection.
He said the settlers were escorted by right-wing rabbi Yehuda Glick.
The settler incursions came amid rising tensions across the Palestinian territories over the ongoing Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
At least 29 Palestinians have been killed, including six children and four women, and over 250 others injured in three days of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since Friday.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the “Temple Mount,” claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Since 2003, Israel has allowed settlers into the compound almost daily.
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.
READ: Al-Aqsa Mosque: illegal settlers storm site
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