Around 250 Israeli settlers stormed the compound of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, Palestine.
According to Palestinian news agency WAFA, the settlers entered the mosque compound under heavy protection from Israeli soldiers and carried out various religious rites and prayers there.
Under a historic 1967 status quo agreement, non-Muslims are permitted to enter the Al-Aqsa compound as visitors, but there is a strict ban on any form of prayer or religious ritual there.
This site, the third holiest in Islam, has been the target of such provocative acts many times before. In particular, since Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir took office in 2022, he has repeatedly forced his way into the compound himself, along with his followers.