A total of 165 Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound through the Moroccan Gate on Tuesday under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.

In a statement, the governorate said the settlers entered the holy site through the Moroccan Gate and carried out what it described as provocative tours in the mosque's courtyards while performing Talmudic rituals under the protection of occupation forces.

The Jerusalem Governorate warned that such incursions have intensified during the Jewish holiday season, describing them as part of ongoing attempts to alter the historic and legal status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque and impose what it called a new religious reality at the holy site.

Palestinian officials have repeatedly voiced concern over the growing number of settler incursions into the compound, saying the repeated entries are aimed at gradually changing the site's historical character and undermining the authority of the Islamic Waqf, which administers the mosque under the longstanding status quo.

The latest incursion follows a series of larger raids in recent days. According to the Jerusalem Governorate, nearly 600 settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Jewish New Year holiday under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, while Palestinian worshippers faced tighter restrictions on access to the mosque.

Al-Aqsa Mosque, located in occupied East Jerusalem, is Islam's third-holiest site. The compound has remained a flashpoint of tensions for years as repeated settler incursions and restrictions imposed on Palestinian worshippers continue to draw widespread Palestinian and international concern over efforts to alter its historical and legal status.(ILKHA)