The incident came a day after Netanyahu, ministers and thousands of Israelis entered the Western Wall plaza

 Palestinian men pray at Al-Aqsa mosque, also known to Jews as the Temple Mount, as Israeli security forces take position at the compound, while tension arises during clashes with Palestinians in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 5, 2023. REUTERS

Around 100 Israeli occupiers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday morning under the protection of Israeli forces, the Jerusalem Governorate said.

In a statement, the governorate’s media office said the occupiers raided the compound’s courtyards and performed Talmudic rituals under the protection of Israeli police.

The incident comes a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, several ministers and thousands of Israeli occupiers entered the Western Wall plaza in East Jerusalem amid tight security.

The incursion also came as the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur begins Sunday evening and continues until Monday evening.

Read More: Macklemore honoured with Gaza mural following Ed Sheeran tour removal

Occupier incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque have intensified in recent months, particularly during Jewish holidays, amid Palestinian warnings against attempts to impose new realities at the mosque and divide it temporally and spatially.

Israeli far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Thursday, praising Jewish visitors he ​said had prayed at the site in breach of arrangements ‌that allow only Muslim prayer there.

His visit drew condemnation from Jordan and Palestinian officials.

The compound in Jerusalem’s walled Old City is one of the most sensitive sites ​in the Middle East. Known to Jews as Temple Mount, ​it is the most sacred site in Judaism and is ⁠Islam’s third-holiest site.